Land of Confusion
by Scotland Evander
Summary: Tony Stark wanted to rebuild his house, figure out how magic worked and not deal with his feelings. So, of course, his house was blown to smithereens and his access to magic failed to work right. At least he didn't have Steve's problem of being fixated with a certain God of Mischief who was MIA.
1. The Heart of It All

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters. I do not own the plot to _Iron Man 3_, either, as it the screenplay was written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black. As always, if you know it, I fail to own it. "Land of Confusion" was written by Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Phil Collins. "Don't Rain on My Parade" was written by Bob Merrill, composer Jule Styne. As always, if you know it, I fail to own it.**

_A/N: This is the third installment of the _Various States_ series. It is highly recommended you at least read _For What It's Worth_ for some of this story to make sense. To get Jess (OC) and Loki's backstory, _Deep In The Heart_ is a good read. _

_Since it's been awhile…Good Loki (the one who fell into Other Earth) is also known as GQ, Data, Lo or Lokes. Bad Loki (the one who fell into the hands of Thanos) is known as Reindeer Games (RG), Locutus, and Evil Loki. When referring to Whole Loki (the Good and Bad side put back together), the characters tend to either just call him what they called Good Loki._

* * *

**_The Heart of It All_**

* * *

_Do it on your own / It makes no difference to me / What you leave behind, what you choose to be_

_-Muse, "Invincible" _

* * *

Tony Stark was annoyed.

And not because his favorite house had been reduced to a pile of rubble roughly six months ago— no that wasn't why he was currently annoyed. No, Tony was currently annoyed because the woman in front of him wasn't trying hard enough.

"The readings are off the charts! I did scans on GQ when we first met him and they match! You can do what he did!"

Jess Witton, the aspiring little witch herself, glared at him as she looked up between the blue streaked hair that was currently in her eyes.

"Thor said I felt like his hammer."

"Yeah, well, when you were out cold you read like his hammer. You're awake now. No longer a hammer."

"You can't touch this!" she shouted and started moving funny.

Tony wasn't sure what she was doing. It kind of looked like the dance from _Saturday Night Fever_, but for all he knew that was how one danced like MC Hammer in her universe— though he'd hazard it wasn't. While the kid adored music, she lacked any kind of rhythm.

"Uh, wrong dance, Quadra Blu," Tony said, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his hip against the work bench next to him. "That one was done by John Travolta and without a hammer, though I'd pay money to see him do it with a hammer. Did he have a hammer on Other Earth? Did you often get down with hammers? This is the land of confusion for you, so I can understand your, well, confusion."

Over the past two months since Jess had decided to show him magic (which so far was only puffs of green mist in her hands) Tony had learned that there were quite a few differences between her world and his own passed the fact on her world there was no Tony Stark but a formerly troubled actor named Robert Downey, Jr.

For one, the president was quite different— hers was named Barak Obama and Tony was stuck with some old white guy he couldn't bothered to remember the name of (if he had a fun name, Tony would remember). Also, due to the fact the Avengers were all actors and everyone they knew were actors on her world, entertainment was somewhat different. So for all Tony knew, John Travolta did the_ Saturday Night Fever_ dance with a hammer or MC Hammer did point his finger up and down instead doing that thing with his knees.

Tony found the whole thing utterly fascinating and jumped on the chance to get her to compare the two worlds.

"_This is a land of confusion, this is the world we live in,_" Jess said in a sing song voice.

Tony sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"MC Hammer didn't have a hammer either, just awesome pants! JARVIS! Give me a tune!" she shouted. "I wanna march!"

JARVIS began to play something horrible. Tony wanted to rip his hair out in frustration and stuff it into his ears after he chopped them off.

At least Jess had missed the Justin Beiber fanwagon. (She'd been a teenybopper long before Beiber showed up, though what she liked wasn't any better in Tony's opinion.)

"Yo!" Tony tried to shout over whatever the hell was playing. "JARVIS, SOMETHING I LIKE!"

The music changed to Iron Maiden. Jess stopped moving. Tony began to rock his head to the beat.

"JARVIS, I wanna march," Jess pouted, a glint in her eye Tony didn't like.

Something even more god awful started playing.

"Nooooo!" Tony whined as Jess began marching, grabbing up Loki's Glow Stick of Destiny.

SHEILD had let Tony borrow it to see if Jess could get it to work, as no one at SHEILD could get it to do anything. Not even glow (not that Jess made it glow either). Tony had leapt at the chance to study the Glow Stick, as while he did not like magic, he wanted to understand how it existed. From what Tony knew of the laws of physics, magic could not exist, but his eyes told him something else altogether. Tony wanted to figure magic out, apply proper science to it, and call it a day.

His access to magic wasn't cooperating. She was currently marching around his lab acting like a child while belting out (really out of tune) about parades and rain.

"_I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer! Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade," _she sang while kicking her legs out in front of her and somehow not falling flat on her face (the kid could walk in heels gracefully that would make Pepper proud, yet she was unable to move in a series of coordinated movements for unknown reasons flat on her feet). "_I'm gonna live and live now, get what I want— I know how!" _

Tony rammed his head into the table a few times.

"Oh, take that look of your face," Jess said over the music. "Wait, isn't that a show tune?"

Oh, no.

Jarvis began to play something else, just as bad.

"It is!"

Tony let out a rather unattractive noise and gave up, galling in an ungraceful heap on the table.

"JARVIS, kill the music," Jess said, setting the Glow Stick of Destiny down in its holder.

Silence fell, blessed silence. (Well, other than the noise Jess made as she re-hooked the Glow Stick's indicators.) Tony had never been so thrilled for silence in his entire life.

"Okay, I'm going upstairs. You feel free to continue making your army of Iron Mans since you refuse to talk about your feelings about what happened when went on your kamikaze mission."

"I don't do feelings, Witton. And can't call it kamikaze if you live."

"Oh, the last name. I'm scared."

Jess rolled her freaky green eyes and marched out of the lab, humming loudly. Tony grumbled and went back to work.

Tony's lab in the Malibu house had managed to survive mostly intact. (It was built to withstand earthquakes and there hadn't been exactly a direct attack against the place, just two gods tossing down.) Since his arrival in California to oversee the construction of his new house, Tony had spent quite a bit of time locked away in his lab— doing what he'd done in the movie Jess had told him about.

It sounded like a good idea: make a lot of suits. Especially if he could figure out how to get the suit to him without the bracelets and remote control them— that'd be awesome.

Jessica couldn't remember how he'd done it in his movie (his THIRD movie, because clearly he was awesome on Other Earth as he was here), so she was useless in more ways than one.

It was like she and Dummy got together and traded stories on how best to annoy Tony.

"Sir, you have a phone call," JARVIS intoned.

"From?"

"Mr Hogan, sir."

Tony debated a few minutes if he wanted to deal with Happy, who had gone to work for Pepper. Tony sometimes he felt like he'd been abandoned, but he knew Happy was just the man to watch out for trouble around Pepper. Tony wouldn't trust anyone else with Pepper's safety (well, other than Bruce, who was still in New York, thus not here to offer Pepper protection). According to Jess, Pepper was in danger from some guy Tony had pissed off in the passed.

The list was long, so Tony had no idea who was coming after them. Jess, of course, couldn't remember the guy's name passed Mandarin, which as far as Tony knew was a type of orange not a super villain. Okay, so she remembered the actor's names, but like that would help Tony out. He didn't know anyone named Guy Pearce.

"Sir?"

"What?"

Dummy poked Tony.

"What was that for?"

Dummy poked Tony again. He swatted Dummy's robotic hand away. "Go over there. Yeah, over there."

Dummy rolled to the other side of the lab, looking sad and pathetic.

"Sir, Mr Hogan?" JARVIS intoned.

"Couldn't he talk to Jess?"

"She's already spoken to Mr Hogan. It's been an hour and forty-three minutes and twelve-seconds since Ms Witton left the lab and sixty-two minutes and thirty-seconds since Mr Hogan originally telephoned."

Tony frowned. Recently, he'd had trouble keeping track of time while he was working. Or time was speeding up. Tony bet there was some oddball scientist out there who'd tell him time moved differently or something from what they'd been told all their lives. And for once, Tony might believe him as he swore since…his stuff all got blown up time moved differently. For lack of someone else to blame, Tony blamed Reindeer Games.

"Fine. Put him through."

"Tony?" came Happy's voice.

"Yes, Happy?"

"I'm worried. Jess says the guy talking to Pepper is the bad guy," Happy whispered. "Aldrich Killian. You should know him."

"Huh?" Tony asked, dropping the helmet he was tweaking. Dummy rushed over, chirping madly, and picked the helmet up. Tony grabbed it away from the bot before he had a chance to destroy it.

"The Mandarin we all know is just an actor. The one who keeps appearing on TV? Jess calls him Ben Kingsley," Happy reminded him. "Killian, or Guy Pearce, is the actual man behind everything. He's pulling the strings and he's talking to PEPPER right now!"

"Huh? Guy Pearce is talking to Pepper? How'd he get here? Wouldn't we notice his arrival? We noticed GQ's and Jess'."

"Tony!" Happy shouted, sounding impatient. "Are you even listening! The Mandarin is Aldrich Killian! Who is he!? What did you to do to him? Should I just shoot him now? He's in the office with Pepper! She didn't seem too worried, but I felt something was off. After talking to Jess, I'm sure Aldrich Killian is Guy Pearce!"

Tony gazed around his lab, staring at the various things he was working upon and all his suits lined up against the wall. He tried to work his muddled head through what Happy was trying to tell him, but mostly all he could do was come up with equations and ideas for his suits. Something above his head crashed, causing both his bot helpers to make whirling noises and "look" up at the ceiling. Tony set the gauntlet down he was holding (how'd that gotten there?) and moved across the lab to the door.

"I gotta go."

"TONY!"

Tony hung up on Happy and headed upstairs. The house was mostly done, as money talked. The house had been rebuilt in record time, and pretty gosh darn greenly. There were only interior things Tony couldn't be bothered with to be deal with— those things were Pepper's deal.

Another loud noise from the wing of the house where the gym was located sounded. Tony headed in that direction, frowning. The only person in the house (besides the construction dudes who were doing whatever) was Jess. Jess never worked out.

What the hell was she doing?

Bad music pumped through the sound system, leaking out under the door. Tony sighed, pulling the door open and peering into the room. Jess never set foot in the gym, usually, as after she was through with her physical therapy she'd loudly announced if she never set foot in another gym again, she'd be better than fine.

Tony scanned the gym for what the hell was crashing loud enough to make it through the soundproofing in the floor and his lab.

It seemed it was Jess herself that was doing the crashing. She was doing some sort of karate/kung fu combination workout. She went through motions that appeared alien to Tony to the beat of the music— dropping to the ground (thump), kicking her legs out and then fluidly somehow getting to her feet (thump)— all while wearing a very confused expression on her face.

Jess moved with grace the Tony had never witness her able to maintain for a prolonged period.

It was bizarre and he couldn't look away. He was utterly transfixed.

As the music slowed down, Jess grabbed the stripper pole (Tony had it installed as a joke) and used it to spin her self around, legs out straight. Her body flew around at an almost perfect ninety degree angle in time with the music. She let go of the pole and flipped herself over midair before landing perfectly. She repeated the trick few times— all in time to a Maroon 5 song. Once the song sped back up, Jess stopped moving.

Tony was about to speak when Jess stopped looking confused and a hard expression appeared on her face (Tony saw thanks to the mirrors lining all the walls). She snapped her fingers and the music changed. She stared at her fingers and did it again, jumping to the middle of a song this time.

She looked utterly bewildered and pained for some reason, staring at her hand now.

"I like this song better," Tony said, leaning against the door, listening to "Monkey Wrench" by the Foo Fighters.

Jess screamed, spinning around to face Tony. He smirked at her.

"JARVIS, shut the music off," she said. The music stopped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know you've been holding out on me," Tony replied, raising an eyebrow. "You can do much more than make poofs of green appear in your hands. That had to be magic voodoo."

"No! I can't. Look!"

She held her hands out in front of her, concentrated and the familiar light green mist appeared, making little sparks fly across her palms— the extent of her magical talent. If she was in a fight, she could shock someone. Lightly.

"I can hardly get the mist to appear!"

Tony did note she was rather red in the face and hadn't been before.

"What the hell were you just doing, then? You sure don't move like that all the time and when did you learn to spin around the pole like that?"

"I don't know!" she shouted, looking crazed. "I'm not Tom Hiddleston! I can't do that!"

Tony took a step back.

She looked a little like Reindeer Games with that expression on her face and her eyes flashing.

"I came in here for something and I turned on the music and was totally grooving out to the newest Maroon 5 album, since it FINALLY came out here and next thing I know I'm standing here, all sweaty and feeling like I just did a lot more than dance around like an idiot. I totally pulled that stripper spinning move Hiddleston used in _Thor_! Did you see that? OH! Then I snapped. I CAN'T SANP!"

She began to hyperventilate as she began to attempt to show Tony how she could not snap.

She wasn't able to snap.

Tony straightened up.

If there was one thing he had grown to dislike more than her insistence to talk about feelings it was her panic attacks. Tony never knew what to do and felt completely helpless.

Steve always knew what to do.

Hell, even Clint knew what to do and he wasn't a mother hen like Steve tended to be (annoyingly).

"Uh, um…do you need a bag?" Tony asked.

"What the hell did Locutus do to me?" Jess faintly asked, looking around. She sat down on a bench and put her head between her knees. "I've never been able to snap. Never."

Tony took a few steps into the room and awkwardly stood before her.

"I don't know. Were you always mess up?"

"NO! I was totally normal!" she exclaimed at the floor. "I have no skills other than applying makeup! And I kinda can write. But that's all! I can't shoot a gun right, I can't do whatever the hell I just did and I have no grace at all! I make Bella Swan look graceful!"

"Lack of rhythm I think is what you're looking for. You can walk without tripping over your own feet. Sometimes."

Jess let out a dervish noise, shaking her head.

"Okay, I'll give you that. I have no rhythm. I got kicked out of ballet because of it. But, I can't walk on a balance beam or in a straight line. And I've got no upper body strength," Jess said, sitting up and demonstrating her lack of upper body power. "And I almost shot myself in the foot somehow with the safety on when Pappy took me shooting the first time."

She ran her hands through her blue streaked hair and sighed. She tried to snap again, but nothing happened.

"But, when I was under the mind whammie, I had skills. I could shoot and miss if I wanted or hit the target. I could fight, flip myself over and hold my own. And after Locutus did…." Jess waved her hands around. "After he did whatever he did made me look like you…I don't know what happened. You can't gift people with magic!"

Tony frowned, remembering how scared and outraged GQ had looked when Thor had said Jess had magic and felt like his hammer. (It could have been because of the whole having magic or because Thor called Loki's best friend a hammer.)

"I should not STILL have it and it shouldn't be…getting stronger."

"Maybe you're still mind whammied, since you don't remember what you were doing," Tony hated to suggest, skin crawling. "Well, other than the pole spinning."

Tony didn't know what to do if Jess was still under the thrall…especially since he had the Glow Stick of Destiny in the house with him. Jess didn't seem to think it was dangerous for her, nor did Tony since she couldn't make it do anything and it'd stopped glowing when the Smother Brothers had gone back to Asgard.

"Eye check."

Tony bent over and looked into her eyes.

"Still freaky green."

"Woot."

"Wanna try the magic thing after a shower?" Tony suggested, straightening up. "Now that we both know you can do more than make some static mist. The pole spinning was rather impressive."

Jess leveled him a look that might have peeled some paint off the walls.

"Did you talk to Happy?" she asked.

"Yeah. When did you talk to Happy?"

"When he called the first time," Jess said, staring at Tony as if she was worried for his sanity. "Did you make him sit on hold for almost an hour?"

"I lost track of time," Tony admitted. "What time is it?"

"Pepper will be home shortly," Jess said. "I need a job."

"Huh?"

"I need a job," Jess said. "I'm going mental sitting here being your toy."

"You are not my toy."

Bruce had pounded it into Tony's head Jess was not his toy. Tony knew Jess was a human being. Those were not toys. Tony figured he'd made it clear he knew this as Bruce (and Steve and Clint) had allowed Jess out of his (their) sight to come to California.

Jess leveled him another look, standing up. "Would Pepper hire me?"

"Huh?"

"I have no marketable skills, though. I was told by the guy removing my wisdom teeth to not be a lawyer and I listened to him. Kind of stupid, seeing as I was a political science major and that was pretty much why. I ended up selling makeup for a living," Jess complained. "I need to do something and I don't really want to go work at Sephora."

"Sir, Miss Potts is home," JARVIS informed them. "She would like to speak with you, sir."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Tony groaned. "I need a drink."

"I don't want to work for SHIELD. Not a trained killer."

"I'm sure Agent isn't a trained killer. Nor is Capsicle," Tony said, walking out of the gym. "And there's a lot of paperwork to do! I bet you're stellar at paperwork!"

"I hate paperwork," Jess insisted.

Tony paused in the doorway and smirked at her. "Then, I guess it's good you don't wanna work for SHIELD. Those kind of places always have lots of paperwork."

Jess threw a yoga mat at him, aiming it perfectly to hit him in the head.

"How'd you do that?" Tony asked, rubbing his head.

"Magic."

* * *

_I've tried but I couldn't find any warning of you, dear / It's hard to make any sense of what I feel here / All I know, is that my days go on and on without you here_

_-Greg Laswell, "Days Go On" _

* * *

Steve Rogers twirled a pencil in his fingers, blankly staring out the window of his Brooklyn apartment. He watched people going about their lives (talking on cell phones, listening to tiny music machines) and sleek cars moving along (cars looked so…small). While things were still strange, Steve no longer felt all that jarred when he looked out the window and was met with 2012 rather than 1942.

The world kept spinning while Steve slept and while it'd been hard to get his mind around at first, he was coming to grips with it. If he was honest, he hadn't even bothered to truly try to get a grip on the situation until Director Fury recruited him for the Avengers.

Then his life catapulted move forward, finally almost catching up with the rest of the world.

Steve looked back at the sketch book and sighed deeply before slamming it shut.

He only sketched one thing these days.

Even when Steve went out, sat in a park to sketch trees or people going about their daily lives— _he_ always wound up in the drawing.

Steve thought it'd be easier with Jess off in California with Tony.

Jess strongly reminded Steve of _him. _

Steve hadn't gotten a good look at the girl until after her accident.

And she looked so much like _him_.

Similar nose, same thin lips, and the dark hair…then she'd opened her eyes.

The first time Steve had seen Jessica Witton's eyes after watching her face turn more and more into _his_ as she lost weight during her comatose state almost made Steve's head explode.

The two had the same eye color— a mix of beautiful shades of Coke bottle green, mint, isle royal greenstone, honey dew with flecks of emerald. Steve's fingers itched for paints in order to capture the strangeness and beauty of that unique eye color. He'd never witnessed eyes with so much varying shades of green and brilliance.

They were other worldly— which made sense for Loki as he was a being from another planet. But Jess…Jess was from another Earth, a human being, mortal, and perfectly average— until Reindeer Games did something to her to leave her with magic.

But, according to Clint, her eyes had been that unique shade of green before RG had gotten his tainted magic inside her.

Jess stopped looking alarming like Loki after she began to put the weight back on she'd lost after her accident. She also seemed perfectly normal (other than the magic thing).

Not that Steve was a good judge of normal any longer. He was over ninety years old, he used to be a ninety pound weakling before he'd been injected with a serum and jacked up on electricity. He hung out with two super assassins, a guy who flew around in a metal suit made of the latest technology, and a green rage monster and it was perfectly normal for Steve wake up, get on a plane and visit something called a Hellicarrier, which was like a battleship, but airworthy.

Oh, and he'd met and fought along side two beings who were straight out of mythology.

Steve was pretty sure he no longer knew what normal happened to be— hadn't since that fateful day he'd met Doctor Erskine and been allowed to join the Army.

"I'm so….screwed," Steve muttered, testing out some "local slang" as Jess referred to it.

He might be ninety some years old, but he looked about twenty-five…if that. Jess told him he couldn't talk like he was from the forties if he didn't want people to stare more than they were already prone to do— since he was Captain America and drool worthy (as Jess put it).

(Steve had no feelings on his physical appearance, though it was nice to know others thought was handsome.)

"YO! Rogers! What did I tell you about locking your front door!"

Steve lifted his head up off the table to find Clint Barton standing in front of him holding greasy bags and looking amused— which was usually how the archer looked when he "broke" into Steve's apartment.

Clint never knocked unless the door was locked and Steve had a horrible habit of not locking the door.

Old habits died hard.

Especially when less than a year ago, it hadn't been that big of a deal if Steve didn't lock his door. Actually, a year ago, he didn't have a door. He lived in a tent.

"You're still lucky it's only me and Witton who keep breaking into your apartment," Clint went on, dumping the bags of on the table. "And speaking of Witton, now that she's flown off to LA with Stark, I can introduce you to the joys of fast food!"

"What?"

Clint began to unload the bags to reveal several differently wrapped items. Steve had a feeling his stomach was going to have a long day— if the grease that was seeping through the wrappings and onto the bag was anything to go by.

"Burgers and fries from Five Guys! I don't know what Witton's got against this joint. Food of the gods, I say. Plus, I bet Loki would LOVE this," Clint said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Clint always told Steve Loki might love something after the first time Jess had said it, Steve immediately tried whatever they were attempting him to eat. Steve regretted his prior action each time Clint brought it up, as his cheeks flamed and Clint smugly grinned.

Clint had enough tact, though, to not say anything further (unlike Stark who teased Steve endlessly about Loki).

(Steve kind of wished Loki would hurry up and get the message to them on what happened to him or get his rear end back to Earth.)

(No, he didn't.)

(Yes. Steve wanted to see the guy again. As a friend. They were friends.)

(Steve ought to burn his sketchbooks. They looked kind of stalker-like with all the drawings of Loki.)

(But…)

"Here," Clint said, holding out a rather tall cup in Steve face. He shook it, sending bits of condensation all over the place. "It's like ice cream, only better."

Steve took the cup, glared at Clint, and sipped, recognizing it for what it was right away.

"I've had a milk shake before, Clint."

"Not from McDonald's," Clint sang.

Steve noted the cup had a different logo than the bag.

Clint turned one of the old wooden chairs around and sat on it backwards (how Clint usually sat at tables during meals). He shoved a wrapped sandwich and a opened ended container containing what Steve figured were fries, then began to unwrap his own meal. "So, drawing anything besides Loki?"

Steve glared at the man, refusing to answer. Clint grinned and took a huge bite out of his sandwich. He chewed happily for a moment then swallowed before speaking again.

"The quicker you get over your embarrassment and adopt two-thousand twelve's way of thinking, the better. I swear to you, he'll be back any day now. Just wait."

Steve refused to answer, knowing Clint meant well. It wasn't Clint's fault the world kept spinning while Steve lay trapped in the ice. It wasn't Clint's problem Steve had yet to embrace all the new ways of thinking.

It was difficult to rewrite social mores in less than a year.

Clint began chatting about something else all together and Steve quietly ate the meal Clint had brought him, mulling things over in his head while he half listened to Clint.

Steve had flown into the ice mildly confused on his feelings, he'd awoken very confused, and now he was just…

Steve needed to invent a word for what he was currently.

* * *

_See this rolling wave / Darkly coming to take me home / And I've never been so alone / And I've never been so alive_

_-Third Eye Blind, "Motorcycle Drive By" _

* * *

Loki knelt before a gold throne, head bowed in submission. He was shackled in familiar magical cuffs and was still in Evil Loki's dirty, battle-worn leather and metal armor. Looking around the room, Clint hazarded a guess he was in Asgard.

What was he doing in Asgard?

Was he in Asgard or was this just his idea of Asgard?

Why was he standing next to the king?

At least Clint thought that was the king. He looked like a king and he was wearing a butt-load of gold in a similar armor style to Thor and Good Loki.

Oh, where was Thor?

Wait, where was anyone?

The room was empty.

"Loki," rumbled a very deep, very regal sounding voice.

Loki remained staring at the ground.

Wait, if Clint was part of this world, why was he dressed in his pjs? If this was really his dream, he'd dress himself up in Asgard gear.

"What the hell is going on?" Clint asked at the same time the king ordered, "Look at me."

Loki slowly raised his head up, his long black hair falling into his eyes. His brilliantly green eyes glanced at the area around the king for a moment, as if he wasn't sure where the king was seated.

Couldn't they let the guy shower? Loki was still covered in dust he likely picked up from when he'd blasted off into the atmosphere. As he looked at Loki, Clint got a sinking feeling the god was in the same rough shape he'd been in the last time Clint had seen him before Thor shot them off with that damn cube of insanity.

Clint furrowed his brow and stared at Loki, but remained silent.

"Do you have anything to say?"

Loki's eyes stared straight forward at the king a moment before shrugging. It must have been something the king wasn't used to as he remained in his kingly manner only a beat before sighing deeply— kind of like how Fury was forever sighing at things Stark said and did.

"Son," Loki's mouth did that tightening it did when Thor called him "brother" but he didn't react further and the king didn't seem to notice, "Thor has explained that your actions on Midgard were not taken under your own mental prowess and you are effected by madness."

Loki shrugged.

The king stared at his adopted son with a look of regret in his eyes— and a little frustration.

"This is your chance to speak freely, Loki. To speak to me as my son," the man quietly urged.

There was a war going on behind those strange green eyes. Clint took a few steps forward, wondering if anyone could see him. The green eyes darted to Clint the moment he got to the first stair down and he froze, looking behind him. The king gave no indication he could see Clint. Clint turned back to Loki— who was no longer looking at Clint, but back at the king.

Okay, so Loki could see him, but no one else could.

Clint finished going down the stairs. He managed to do it silently thanks to his bare feet, so he didn't distract Loki with the noise of his descent. The floors looked like the kind that would make a ton of noise if put in contact with footwear.

"Say, something, you idiot! Why are you channeling a mime?" Clint asked reaching Loki's side. "He's giving you a chance to talk like his kid not his subject! Even I get that and I don't have a king!"

Loki's eyes darted to the left, then right and back to center.

"Loki? What is wrong?"

"Fa—O—All-father," Loki decided, shaking his head. "What Thor has told you is true— the actions on Midgard were influenced by Thanos."

The man on the throne made an angry noise, standing up suddenly.

"What did he do?"

"I am sure Thor has told you."

"Thor did not tell me what Thanos did whilst you were in his custody, my son," the man quietly said.

Loki's mouth tightened, but he quickly put on an unfeeling smirk.

"Oh, why don't we wait till everyone in Asgard is here. I'm sure they will be thrilled to hear my tail of cowardliness and failure," Loki sarcastically drawled. "That way I'll only need recount it once."

Clint sighed, shaking his head. A long moment of silent dragged out, punctuated only by Clint's fidgeting.

"Loki, what happened to you?"

"I was ripped apart in the void."

"No. Before."

Loki shifted on his knees.

"Stand up."

Loki's face hardened till his head moved as if he'd been whacked upside the head. The king looked concern.

"Loki?"

Loki got to his feet and stood before the king. He squared his shoulders and held himself proudly.

"I apologize for keeping your true heritage from you—"

"I know. You do not— I don't— I under—" Loki stopped speaking, glancing to his left with a cloudy expression on his face. "I understand why you did so. I am attempting not to hold it against you."

The king honestly appeared surprised by this development. He didn't even bother to hide it.

"Many believe you must be punished for your crimes," the older man started, then faltered when it became clear Loki was staring at his left side clearly listening to someone. "Loki?"

"Yo, Lokes, I think your dad will agree you're a looney-toon if you keep paying attention to your empty left side."

Loki turned his attention to Clint and gave him a look.

"Loki, are you quite well?" the king asked, looking at the empty space on either side of Loki.

"I am well," Loki replied firmly.

The king stared at his adopted son, before speaking again. "Your punishment will be imprisonment."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "You're going to put me in a box?"

The king looked confused, but nodded. "You seem to be disturbed."

"I am not. It's residual magic from the compulsion I performed under Thanos' control," Loki replied. "Jessica Witton is standing to my left and Agent Clint Barton is standing to my right. I do not know why."

A thunderous expression appeared on the king's face. Loki looked like someone was shouting in his left ear.

"They are not under my control, Fa—All-Father," Loki corrected. "They are here…under their own power it seems. Judging by how they are speaking to me."

"Hey! I've hardly said a word!" Clint shouted.

"I am sure they are here because the Midgardians I associated with during my time with the Avengers are worried what is to become of me. They are concerned you won't be fair by their standards," Loki explained, giving a thunderous look to his left. He waited a beat before turning his attention back to the king. "I apologize for my distraction, but neither is used to being in the presence of royalty."

"That is fine, Loki. You are sure…"

"Jessica would like you to know she disapproves of you not telling me, yet she understand why you did so," Loki ground out. "She would also would like you to know that I will need someone to speak to in order to get…better."

Loki looked at Clint.

"I don't know the crimes he wants to punish you for, Lokes," Clint reminded the Trickster. "But, if he wants you to serve a prison sentence because you had that bad day, then okay."

"Bad day? Jessica, please stop shouting," Loki snapped, looking at his left. "I am sorry I left, but I had—"

Witton likely had some choice words for Loki on this topic, even though Clint thought she'd dealt rather well with being abandoned.

Loki was staring at his left side with a worrying look.

"You what?"

"Loki!"

Loki turned his attention back to his father.

"The trial will begin shortly and I must behave as your king not your father."

Loki nodded.

"Will they remain for the trial?"

"I believe the Midgardians are simply concerned for my well being. If you only wish to lock me in a box to think about what I did wrong, then they mustn't complain. They lock many in tiny boxes and believe it is reforming."

The king took this sentiment and nodded.

"I do not plan to harm Loki," the king said, looking to Loki's left and right. "The people will want justice for the error of your ways before you fell from the Bifrost, but Thor will be able to prove you were not in your right mind. And, while many believe you usurped the throne, your mother will testify she gave you the power of King whilst Thor was banished and I was in Odinsleep. Sif and the Warriors Three have already been dealt with for their acts of treason against the throne."

Loki extended his head, a small look of triumph on his face.

"When I issue my punishment, you will be stripped of the use of magic till you are seen fit of the mind," the All-Father went on. "It will be sealed."

Loki nodded.

"That will prevent them from coming back, will it not?"

Loki looked to his left and right, then shrugged.

The king sighed again. "Loki, that is unbecoming."

Loki did not respond.

"Are the others here as well?"

Loki looked around the empty thorn room and shook his head. "No, only Clint and Jessica."

"Why those two?"

"I believe because I managed to form an actual bond with them," Loki shrugged— making the king sigh again.

"We must start the formal trial, son. Say goodbye," the king said, turning and vanishing behind the throne, leaving Loki and Clint alone in the room.

"You are unable to see one another?" Loki asked, looking between them.

"Yep. Only me and you in this room."

Clint assumed Witton agreed.

"Yes. I know. No, I do not know. Clint," Loki said, turning to face Clint. "I thank you for being a good friend. I hope after my punishment is complete and I am able to…leave, to see you again."

Loki extended his head and Clint nodded.

"Your forgiveness means much to me," Loki quietly murmured.

"Well, uh, you weren't you, were you?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't in the right mind, yes," Loki agreed.

"All right, dude. I, uh, well, it was nice seeing you. Uh, take a shower."

Loki looked mildly confused.

Clint woke with a start and stared around his dark bedroom, breathing rather heavily and quickly for not having an actual nightmare. He blindly reached at his nightstand till he found the ringing cell phone. He somehow managed to answer it and get it to his ear.

"So, they are going to just lock him up for a whole year till the Dark Elves attack," Witton announced. "Just like I saw in the trailer for _Thor 2_. He's just going to sit there and be apathetic."

"Why? I mean, what kind of punishment is that?"

"I don't know. I'm not Asgardian," she pointed out. "How did we get there? It's been almost six months since we last saw him, yet, he seemed to think it was just a few days. Why the time travel aspect?"

"I don't know. I don't understand this shit."

"Language, Agent Barton," Witton teased. She huffed. "Okay. Whatever. Maybe…I don't know. I mean, I'm from 2013 technically and it's still 2012, so maybe it's just the freaky magic aspect that keeps us all confused?"

"I am confused."

"Well, at least we can tell them what's happen with Lo," Witton said.

"Yeah. Though, too bad we won't see him any time soon," Clint said. "Though, I guess we could. The king just said he'd be locked up till they knew he wasn't a fruitcake any longer."

"Yeah, well, him seeing us didn't help any," Witton said, then sighed. "I know _Thor 2_ takes place a year after the invasion of New York, but I left without ever seeing it. I read online what _Winter Solider_ was about and I saw _Iron Man 3_, but other than that I'm not savvy."

"Okay. You know this is the real world, not a movie."

"Oh, you keep telling me that, but I'm not so sure. How's New York?"

"City-like. I've got a mission starting soonish, so I'll be off the grid."

"Bummer. OH GOD! No wonder y'all don't come to Tony's aid! You're off being off grid-like and Natasha hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks. And where is Steve?"

"I left him in is apartment."

Witton made a noise. "Tony's not exactly a team player, so of course he'd call his Iron Man Suit Army. He's been busy building his army since I let that one slip. Did I tell you the lab survived almost intact? It was up and operational by the time I got here? God, I'm bored."

"You're the one who wanted to go to keep an eye on Stark," Clint said, running a hand over his face, then through his hair. The sun was beginning to peak out. Might as well start his day. "Could have stayed here and teased Rogers till he turns red permanently."

"Clint," Witton sighed. "Are you being mean to Steve? It's not his fault he's from the dark ages."

"No, I'm not being mean to him," Clint said. "I brought him Five Guys!"

Witton sighed. "You're gonna have to let Steve figure things out on his own. And Loki's not even here…so, yeah…Stay alive, dude. And stop eating crap."

"Stay sane, dude, and eat some crap."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Clint hung the phone up. He stared at it for a moment, before dialing again.

"Agent Coulson."

"No, this is Agent Barton."

"Clint."

"Stark's building an army of Iron Man suits and Witton and I just did this weird dream session with Loki. He's being locked away till he's sane," Clint reported, heading for his kitchen. He needed coffee.

Coulson was silent for a long time before he finally said, "Okay. Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah. Loki seemed to think it had to do with the fact he has a bond with us," Clint said, flinging cabinets open. "He said it won't happen again. I also think it was Jessica's doing, as Loki's been stripped of his magic."

"He what?"

"They sealed it or something when they locked him up. No magic till he's no longer…sick. Or something," Clint muttered.

"Should I call Ms Witton to get the straight story?"

Clint snorted.

Coulson sighed.

"He's not being tortured and as soon as he's proved to the king, also known as his father, he's not going to go off and turn back into a rage filled, subjugating super villain he'll be let out and I'm sure his first stop will be good old Midgard."

"Earth. We call it Earth here."

"Personally, I like Midgard. Better than calling the planet dirt."

"We call the dirt earth because it's what it's made out of."

"Sure. You tell yourself that, Coulson."

Coulson sighed again. Clint could picture him pinching his bridge of his nose.

"Agent Barton, please come into headquarters as soon as possible," Coulson said. "We will go over what you've told us about the Stark Situation and you can file a report for Loki."

"Aw, I called you so you could file it!"

* * *

_You know it's kind of hard / Just to get along today / Our subject isn't cool / But, he fakes it anyway_

_-The Offspring, "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)"_


	2. Right Here Right Now

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters. I do not own the plot to _Iron Man 3_, either, as it the screenplay was written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black. As always, if you know it, I fail to own it. **

* * *

**_Right Here. Right Now_**

* * *

_We'll turn your nightmares back into dreams / First you've got to close your eyes / Then you'll get another chance to redeem_

_-Sense Field, "Weight of the World"_

* * *

Pepper Pots was packing because Tony Stark was an idiot. It had been increasingly difficult to live with the man since the attack on his own home in the summer and Pepper was understanding— up to a point. His paranoia was getting out of hand (an Iron Man Suit had attacked her in the middle of the night when she'd tried to wake Tony from a nightmare, not to mention the army she knew he was building in the basement) and now he had shot off his mouth to the press.

Not that was unusual.

"You know, Batman said that you don't tell people the location of the Batcave. Why the hell would Iron Man tell the entire freaking world the location of Iron Man's cave?" Jess groused. "I should sew his mouth shut. I know how to sew buttons. I could button his mouth shut."

Pepper didn't reply. She packed. They needed to get out of the house as fast as humanly possible. While Pepper didn't exactly know where the hell Jess had come from, she did know if Jess said jump, Pepper should jump.

Jess said leave, Pepper was leaving.

As soon as she packed.

"You don't really need to pack. We're just going to New York," Jess said. "I'm sure there are clothes there."

"I'm packing," Pepper restated. "Get the shoes on fifth shelf, farthest to the right. I need those for a meeting tomorrow."

Pepper had recently hired Jessica Witton as her own personal PA. Tony hadn't like that at all, as Pepper had taken away his new, shiny toy (even if Tony claimed Jess wasn't a toy, Pepper knew the man well enough to know there was a part of him that regarded the strange girl as a toy). For the past week, Jess had gone above and beyond in her new job (even if she didn't technically have the experience for it).

The only problem: Tony was on his own all day now.

Hence, the going off at the press and telling the terrorist where he lived.

They lived. All three of them lived here.

"He's kind of stupid for a genius," Jess sighed, wandering into the closet. "I love your shoes. Why are your feet so big?"

A door opened and slammed downstairs.

"Because I'm at least four inches taller than you," Pepper offered.

"Hey, I'm not exactly short."

Jess handed the shoes to Pepper, then turned back to the closet.

"With the salary I pay you, you afford shoes of your own."

"I like purses," the woman lamented, shoving a pile of Tony's worn t-shirts into a suitcase. "My cat never ate my purse."

Pepper paused and stared at the woman opposite her shoving her boyfriends clothes into a thousand dollar suitcase.

"You've got a cat?"

"Not any more," Jess replied, hefting up the carry-all over her shoulder. "I'll pry Tony out of the lab and we can vamoose before they show up to blow us up."

Pepper sighed, brushing her hair out of her face before going back to packing. "Happy will be okay?"

The whole reason this was happening was because Happy happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and had been injured in a terrorist bombing the Mandarin had taken credit for.

"Yeah. The doctors are sure he'll wake up and be just fine," Jess said, flinging the door open. "Maybe this is like in _Doctor Who_ and there's fixed events? Tony being an idiot is always a fixed event?"

Pepper stopped packing and stared at the woman. Sometimes she thought Jess was somehow Tony's child, as the things she said made no sense whatsoever. Tony had tried (several) times to explain to Pepper where Jess was from originally and what had happened the day the house was destroyed on national TV while a bunch of super heros fought aliens, but Pepper never really grasped the whole magic aspect of the story.

Jess was a lovely woman and could handle Tony. There were very few people who could and actually liked the man.

Jess _liked_ Tony. Like actually, genuinely liked the man.

"I can't believe you met with Killian. Now he's seen something of Tony's and wants," Jess sighed, raking her free hand through her now orange hair (more professional than blue she claimed). "Too bad Clint ran off, but Bruce is in New York."

Pepper laughed a bit uncomfortably at the thought of the Hulk being her protection from the man she'd met with a few week prior. The name had seemed familiar when it'd appeared on her schedule, yet Pepper wasn't sure why she recognized it till after the man began to show her what he wanted her to invest in— then she remembered.

Pepper shook her head, chiding herself for thinking ill of Bruce. Bruce was the nicest man she'd ever met. And in the past six months, he'd caused no destruction to the Tower. He also got along well with Tony and unlike Jess was able to talk science with Tony— something Tony had longed for his entire life.

"Oh, Steve is still around I think," Jess threw over her shoulder before leaving the master suite. "I'll call him. If he can figure out his phone, he might just answer!"

Pepper went into the bathroom to finish packing.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Pepper grabbed the suitcase and left the master suite, hurrying through the unpainted hallways and dodging the various things the constructions workers had left out. They had been living in a construction zone since coming out to Stark's headquarters in LA. The house was almost done.

So of course, Tony had invited some terrorists over and Jess proclaimed they were going to blow the place up.

"She's with the bad guy!"

"Kingsley?"

"NO! He's an actor! Killian is the bad guy!"

"He is not," snapped a new voice.

Pepper looked over the railing to find Tony and some dark haired woman standing in the entry.

"He's just…just…"

"He's gonna kill you."

"Who the hell are you?" the new woman snapped.

Tony looked between the two women with a bewildered expression on his face.

"I don't know," Jess replied, throwing her arms up in the air. "I thought I was Jessica Witton, but now I'm not so sure. Damn Reindeer Games."

The new woman stared at Jess as if she was crazy, which happened often. Pepper was sure it was partly due to Jess' radioactive orange hair, though, more so than the odd things she tended to say. Granted, there were times Pepper was sure Jess was a little crazier than what should be considered safe. Then, anyone who dealt with Tony on a daily basis had to be a little nuts.

"We need to leave," Pepper reminded them, throwing the suitcase over the railing. It landed on the ground next to Tony, sending up a little dust left by the crews before they fled after Tony gave his location to the terrorists on national television.

"Why? This is the safest place after Stark Towner," Tony bragged, leaning against a pillar, as there was no furniture in the house save in the two completed bedrooms.

"Uh, no," Jess said. "And what did I tell you about the windows? Are they reinforced? You gave your address to some terrorist and they're going to come blow you up. Through those windows!"

She waved wildly at the windows.

"What?" the woman shrieked. She wheeled around and stared at Tony with the same expression she'd given Jess earlier. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"I'm Iron Man, baby."

"Oh, shut the hell up," Jess snapped.

Pepper hurried down the stairs. "Who is this?"

"I don't know," Tony replied.

"Maya Hansen," the woman snapped, glaring at Tony.

Ah, he'd slept with her at some point.

"We're leaving," Pepper said, picking up the bag she'd tossed over the railing. "We'll get the jet and go back to New York. Hopefully your new friends won't blow us out of the sky before your super hero friends can protect us. Maybe we should live in the underground garage?"

"I'm not going to take a back seat to this. They've attack what is _mine_," Tony said, standing up straight. "I've already looked into everything. There's something up in—"

"Tennessee," Jess said.

"Why didn't you say something before! I wasted time—"

"You weren't listening! I told you it started in Tennessee, but he's in Miami at the moment! You need to go to the Sunshine State, not the Volunteer State!"

"STOP SHOUTING AT ONE ANOTHER!"

Everyone turned to look at the other woman in the house. She glared at Tony then at Jess.

"What the hell are you two going on about?" Hansen demanded.

"She's from the future," Tony said, pointing at Jess.

"I am not from the future. I'm from an alternative universe that runs ahead of yours," Jess corrected. "And why are we letting her know? She's with Killian!"

"Because it'd be a nice plot point change up?" Tony suggested.

"He's not bad! He's got a vision!" Hansen shouted.

"Yeah, an evil one," Jess snapped. "He's gonna shoot you and kill you when you finally realize he's whack-o."

"And not the overly hungry Animaniac," Tony helpfully offered.

"We need to get out of this house now," Jess insisted, stomping towards the door. "Let's go before the—"

Jess stopped. She looked like an animal whose sense of danger had been alerted as she turned around and faced the windows looking out over the ocean. Jess's eyes zeroed in on something and she dropped the bag she was carrying, raising her hands up, the strange green mist appearing in her palms.

"DOWN! DOWN!" she screamed, flinging herself at the nearest body, which happened to be the stranger.

And that was when the gunfire began and the whole house began to exploded.

* * *

_I couldn't stop myself / I started running but there's no where to run to / Said where you going man / You know the world is headed for hell_

_-Matchbox 20, "Let's See How Far We've Come"_

* * *

Panic flooded Tony's system as gunfire filled his ears.

"JARVIS PROTECT PEPPER!"

Tony watched in slow motion as the newest Iron Man suite deployed and covered Pepper in time to protect her from the bullets and flying debris as the newly installed chandelier crashed down on her head. He allowed himself a sigh of relief, till he realized his newly rebuilt house was falling down all over the place.

Oh, and into the ocean.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Tony shouted as wall exploded, drywall flew everywhere and glass continued to rain down around him. "I JUST REBUILT THIS PLACE!"

The floor above him chose this moment to fall on his head. Tony tried to protect himself. He didn't think he's manage to survive a house collapsing on his face as Loki had— Tony was but a man, not a…whatever the hell Loki was when he was at home.

"Got you," came Pepper's voice.

Tony opened his eyes to find Pepper in his suit above him— having taken most of the impact.

"Thanks. Uh, I think I want that now. JESS!"

Tony watched as Jess and the woman who claimed to know him (he hadn't bothered to pay attention when she introduced herself) appeared from behind a fallen pillar. There was one of those green shields around them that flickered out as Jess got to her feet.

Tony grinned despite the danger and the fact his house was falling apart again.

"I hate this house!" Jess shouted.

"They are still shooting!" the other woman cried as things continued to be shot up to hell around them. She threw her arms over her head and scrambled for the door. Jess whirled around and followed, as the house crumbled behind them into the ocean.

"JARVIS! Gimme!" Tony ordered, rolling out from under Pepper. "Jess, protect Pepper!"

Tony knew right now was not the best time to test Jess's magic, but when was a good time to test it? Why not while the house was falling on their heads?

Again.

Tony noticed Jess' face harden and she ran towards Pepper dragging the other woman behind her as the suit moved from Pepper to Tony. By the time Tony was encased within the suit, Jess reached their location and grabbed Pepper around the wrist. As soon as her hand closed around Pepper's wrist, she, the stranger, and Pepper all vanished into thin air.

"Cool," Tony breathed.

"Sir?"

"What?" Tony asked as suddenly his new floor cracked under him. He could see the ocean and rocks.

Tony cursed.

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS MY HOUSE?" he asked as he fell into the ocean along with his newly re-built home. "JARVIS!"

* * *

_There we were / Now here we are / All this confusion / Nothing's the same to me / But I can't tell you the way I feel_

_-Oasis, "Columbia" _

* * *

"Did you just teleport us to New York?" Pepper asked faintly as soon as her head stopped spinning and she was no longer nauseous.

"What the hell…" the other woman asked, swaying back and forth. Pepper steadied her, quickly letting her go once it was clear the woman wasn't going to keel over.

"OMG. OMG. OMG. What the hell did I just do?" Jess asked in a high pitch voice, stumbling backwards away from Hansen and Pepper. "I did not just do what I think I did. I can't! I'm a freaking human being! I'm not Harry Potter!"

"Well, you've got the eyes," the stranger lightly joked, attempting to move away from Pepper. She did not seem to have control over her feet and was swaying a little too much.

Jess was too busy having a mental break down to hear the comment. Pepper switched gears from panicked terrorist victim to caretaker.

"JARVIS! Are Jess's pills around here?"

"Miss Potts, there seems to have been a breach in security. There is an unknown with you and Miss Witton."

"Jarvis! Pills!"

"Here! Here!"

Pepper turned to find the elevator opening and Steve Rogers stumbling out of it, holding an orange pill bottle in his hands. He was dressed as he often was when not in uniform (plaid button down and khakis) only his hair failed to be properly done and was wild. Steve came down the stairs and hurried over to Jess, holding out a glass of water to Jess.

Jess stared at Steve as if she didn't know him.

"Take it," he ordered.

Jess took the glass then the offered pill. Steve took the glass back and maneuvered her to the couch, sitting her down. He turned to Pepper and the other woman, eyeing them both.

"Let me guess, Stark's newest house is no more?"

"I…I…I…" Pepper trailed off, falling onto a bar stool. "Yes. It just got destroyed. Again. Jess teleported us out."

"What?" Steve screeched, turning around and looking down at Jess. He knelt down in front of her and they had a quiet conversation, which was mostly Steve talking while looking worried. He put a comforting hand on Jess's arm and wore a look that normally would have melted Pepper's heart— if a father had been wearing it and looking at his kid. It was just bizarre to see it on Steve's face when he was (physically) roughly Jess's age.

"Is anyone going to tell me what is going on?" the other woman asked, collapsing down on the steps from the elevator, which dinged open reveal Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov and Phil Coulson.

"What is going on? Where's Tony?" Bruce asked, then spotted Pepper. "Oh, Pepper, are you all right? You've got a cut on your head."

"I'll get the first aid kit," Natasha said flatly, turning heel and vanishing into the penthouse.

Bruce quickly made his way down the stairs and began to take stock of Pepper's various injuries.

"Steve, is Jess good?" Bruce asked as he studied Pepper's forehead.

"As good as she can be," Steve muttered, standing and placing a hand on Jess's shoulder.

"Was it the Mandarin?" Phil asked, his eyes darted between Steve, Jess and Pepper. He spotted the new woman. "And you are?"

"Maya Hansen," the woman replied, gazing up at Phil from her spot on the floor.

"It was the Mandarin," Natasha said as she handed the first aid kit to Bruce, who began patching Pepper's various cuts up. "What are we going to do about it?"

Phil shook his head. "This is out of SHEILD's hands. It's political and very visible. After the disaster in Malibu, no one wants the Avengers to take up a battle like this."

"But isn't that our purpose?" Steve asked, looking between Natasha and Coulson. "SHEILD is supposed to protect—"

"The planet," both Natasha and Coulson said together.

"Not the United States. That's what Iron Patriot is for," Coulson explained. "Anyways, I've sent a man out to see what's up."

"Are you Captain America?" Hansen asked, staring at Steve.

The poor thing looked a bit overwhelmed.

"Caution, caution, system overload," Jess giggled, her pills having clearly kicked in. Steve glanced at Jess, then moved to make sure Hansen's head wouldn't implode. He crouched down in front of her and began speaking lowly— likely in his Captain America showman voice.

"Sir, with all due respect, the Mandarin might be too public and political for SHIELD, but is Aldrich Killian?" Natasha asked sweetly.

Phil frowned. "Aldrich Killian? He's in charge of a think tank, Agent Romanov. Not a terrorist organization."

Jess snorted.

"How can you not know? Didn't Jess or Clint tell you about Killian?" Pepper asked.

Since Jess had made sure Tony knew, Pepper had assumed she'd told either Clint or Steve, who would in turn tell SHIELD, which was maybe part of the reason she hadn't bothered to pay a little more attention. Running a worldwide corporation was hard enough without trying to stay on top of all the people who wanted to rule the world. That was why there was Iron Man— he dealt with squashing the baddies. Pepper ran the business.

"He's got something dangerous. He showed it to me the other afternoon," Pepper went on. "He wanted me to invest in his think tank so he could fix something with it. There is a problem with it and I think he wanted Tony…"

She trailed off. She'd turned him down, as while she'd seen the benefits of the drug he was proposing, the cons outweighed the benefits. Stark Industries was also a technology company, not a pharmaceutical.

"You met with him?" Steve screeched, flying to his feet.

"JARVIS, can you run the footage from my meeting with Mr Killian?" Pepper asked. "Start from when he showed me Extremis."

* * *

_All the mistakes I made / I made because I didn't know myself very well / And by this stage I feel like I really shouldn't know myself_

_-Idlewild, "Blame It On the Obvious Ways" _

* * *

It took Jess almost an hour to fully calm down to the point she was able to fully explain to Steve what she'd done to get her, Pepper and Ms Hansen to New York. Steve's insides were in knots when she was done. She had used a massive amount of magic (hence why Coulson and Natasha had shown up) and yet she had no idea what she'd done.

"I wish Loki was here," she muttered as the others all discussed what had happened to Stark behind them.

Steve rubbed slow circles on her back, at a loss at what to say in the situation. Since going to California, she'd dyed her hair an alarming shade of tangerine. Each time his fingers brushed the messed up curls, the hair felt a bit dry and rough. Jess also smelled faintly of ozone, a scent that Steve remembered Loki having after he'd done quite a bit of magic.

"So, Stark's not dead? He was last seen falling into the ocean," Fury asked over the phone. "Along with his house."

"No. He's alive and likely on his way to Tennessee," Jess said, turning her attention from Steve to the conference call going on behind them at the kitchen table. "Pepper, go get one of his helmet heads."

Pepper looked a little confused, but nodded and left the living room. Jess got to her feet, pulling something off her wrist. She gathered her orange hair behind her head and bunched it up and fixed it in place with the object from her wrist.

"So, Hansen, you were there to warn Stark that this Killian guy had targeted him for revenge?" Fury asked. "Partly because he got stood up and partly because he figured something out over ten years ago while drunk?"

Hansen shifted uncomfortably. "I just wanted to warn him about…being targeted."

"Didn't believe you, did he?"

"I never really got a chance to tell him what I really wanted to tell him. He was too busy being a jerk," Hansen grumbled. "Then we were interrupted."

Fury snorted.

"Shouldn't we go help Tony?" Steve asked, standing from the couch to join the discussion.

"No," Jess said, her mouth tightening in a familiar manner.

Steve's insides lurched.

He hated when she did that. He was sure if Loki was actually here, it wouldn't be so bad because Jess would just look like Jess and not remind him of Loki. She only kept looking like Loki to Steve because he—

Steve quickly looked away.

"I thought you were against Stark going off on his own and blowing stuff up right and left," Natasha asked.

Jess stared into space, which wasn't all that unusual. Even without the aid of the anxiety pills, she was a little loopy sometimes.

"I think…he needs this," Jess admitted. "I mean, I guess as long as we keep both Hansen and Pepper in the tower and, uh, we don't allow Hansen to let Killian know where the hell she is, he can't dose Pepper up on his fire drug and turn into a real life human torch. We can't have that, as the Human Torch is currently Captain America."

Everyone gave her a strange look, but Fury pushed on as if he couldn't be bothered by Jess's weirdness.

"Fine. No skin off my back. I'll send some agents to speak to the Secret Service," Fury said. "I'd rather not have the President in danger, even if that's not my division."

Jess laughed loudly and fell over. Hansen looked alarmed, looking between the assembled Avengers before frowning when no one moved to help Jess up off the floor— where she continued to laugh as if Fury had said the funniest thing in the world.

"And once I unearth some evidence, I can have the VP arrested," Fury went on, ignoring Jess. Steve stood and pulled Jess up and set her in a chair.

"You still haven't found any?" Natasha asked, eyeing Jess.

"Not his division!" Jess giggled, slapping Steve in the arm. "Not his division!"

Steve was so lost. He held Jess steady as she attempted to fall out of the chair.

"No. He's covered his tracks. I can't find anything that supports any of your claims, Witton."

Jess ceased giggling and cursed rather colorfully. Steve let her go and stood back. He waited a moment before going back to his own seat.

"Agent Romanov and Captain Rogers, you will protect Ms Potts and Ms Hansen. You are all to remain in the tower till Stark has dealt with his issues and returns to being his usual bastard self."

"Oh, also, er, Rhodey. They're gonna steal the…Captain America suit," Jess reminded Fury.

"Iron Patriot?" Fury snorted.

"Yeah. I couldn't remember what it was called," Jess admitted, then giggled.

"I thought you knew what was going on?" Natasha asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I only saw _Iron Man 3 _once! In the theater. And I didn't read a whole lot of fan fiction on it, since the script wasn't out there yet nor were a lot of images. So, not a lot of analytical fan fiction for me to go over like there was with _Thor_ and _The Avengers_. Plus, while Tony Stark is a popular character, he's not as complicated as Loki, hence my insights were a little more in depth when it came to Loki."

Everyone stared at her. Steve was sure Hansen had no idea what Jess was talking about. Steve only understood half of what Jess had just said— and not because she had said it fast.

"Whatever, Witton. Hansen, I need you to fork over everything you know on Extremis. Our person in there vanished," Fury reported. "Have Doctor Banner look at it."

"What?" Hansen asked.

"Pretty sure she got sucked into the program. We were curious," Fury admitted. "We got our fingers in all the pie holes. Keep me updated."

The line went dead.

"Director Fury has hung up," JARVIS said pleasantly.

"Yeah, we noticed," Jess grumped. "Okay. I am going to go pass out and hope to wake up and this was all a bad dream."

Jess pushed herself to her feet, with some minor help from Steve, and wove her way down the hall, not bothering with going to her own floor to nap.

Steve turned his attention to Hansen, who was eyeing Natasha, Coulson and Bruce while looking as if she wasn't sure what she'd gotten herself into.

"Well, you heard the man," Coulson said, giving her a crooked smile. "Gotta know what we're going up against."

"I don't…fine," Hansen said, looking defeated. "I'll give you what I know."

"Okay, I've got the helmet. Now…where'd Jess go?" Pepper asked, getting off the elevator.

"She went to lie down," Steve said as Henson went with Natasha and Bruce. "Why don't we sit down and have something to eat?"

Steve began hurrying around the wet bar before decided he ought to go into the kitchen to find food, as Pepper didn't live on a liquid diet as Tony did sometimes.

"Why did she want me to get one of his helmets?"

"Can he sent messages?" Steve asked as he entered into the kitchen. Pepper trailed behind him.

Steve glanced out the window, saw it was rather darker than it'd been when he'd arrived at the tower to see if Bruce needed to come up for air. (He worked too hard.)

"Oh!" Pepper exclaimed as the helmet did something. She slid onto a bar stool and stared into the helmet. "It's flashing. It wasn't doing that before."

Pepper stared at the helmet before timidly putting it on her own head. She looked quite silly.

"OH! Tony's alive!" Pepper exclaimed removing the helmet, her hair all a mess.

"Great!" Steve cried.

Pepper collapsed forward, her head falling to the kitchen bar and she let out a loud sigh. "This is the longest day known to man. Is it over yet?"

"Do you wish it to be?"

Pepper lifted her head up and smiled at Steve.

Pepper was a very pretty woman. She had a wonderful smile and she was strong, sly and generally a very nice person. Steve kept trying to make himself feel something other than fondness for the woman, but was unable to produce anything else.

Not that was a bad thing, as the woman was involved with Tony. She clearly loved him.

"STEVE!"

Steve startled, looking at the doorway to find Jess standing there, her hair wild and clothes rumpled. She was holding a rather violent pink jar of something familiar.

"Not now, Jessica."

"WHY NOT?"

The manic energy stage of her anxiety pill had clearly kicked in before she'd gotten asleep.

"I need pink hair, Stevie! Pink!" she shouted. "Pink!"

She twirled around, giggling and left shouting out other random things that didn't make much sense. Pepper stared at the empty doorway.

"Uh…" Steve felt overwhelmed.

"I'll fix dinner. You go make sure she doesn't dye anything pink. Also, sit her down in front of the TV. JARVIS, could you put on BBC _Sherlock_ in whatever room Jess is currently within?"

"Of course, Ms Potts."

Steve hurried off to deal with Jess, who when the manic stage hit behaved like a small child high on sugar. Evidently, this manic stage was new. Bruce theorized it might have to do with her magic levels and seeing they were likely abnormally high because of her whole teleportation stunt, her manic stage might be more manic than usual.

* * *

_On the day that you were born / You arrived with one eye open / in case this sad old world wasn't as sweet as you were hopin' for_

_-Sons of the Never Wrong, "If I Knew Then" _

* * *

"The Iron Patriot has gone missing."

This was a nightmare. Hell, everything was an utter nightmare.

"What do you mean he went missing?"

"I mean, it's not Corneal Rhodes in that suit," was the reply. "The body temp is too high. It must be someone on Extremis."

Nick Fury cursed darkly.

He hated Witton. Ever since that damn Laufey-Odinson and Witton had shown up, Nick's life was littered with more trouble than he cared for.

"How the hell did they get the suit?"

"I don't know, but he just got on Air Force One."

Nick closed his eye and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Should we call in the Avengers?"

"No. Yes. No. I don't know. Pull Hawkeye. He's in Florida."

"Hawkeye, sir?"

"Hawkeye."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

_When I wake up here tomorrow / Things will never be the same / Because I won't wait_

_-Simple Plan, "Don't Wanna Think About You"_

* * *

Tony had had a long few days. He'd crash landed in the middle of nowhere Tennessee— just as Jess had told him he would. He even ran into the kid Jess had mentioned.

His name was Harley. Tony forced himself to remember in order to rub it in Jess' face he remembered. With his own brain and Harley feeding him and acting like a kid, Tony had found the Mandarin's hiding spot. (He'd also had a run-in with some of the Mandarin's agents— fire causing menaces…)

Upon breaking into the mansion in Miami, Tony found the guy who was the face the world knew as the Mandarin was indeed an actor playacting the role of terrorist.

"What's your name?" Tony asked after the wimpy man had squeaked out his story of woe (which included being given a boat).

"Ben Kingsley."

"What? No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Ben Kingsley is successful and stuff. You're…not," Tony said, eyeing the slob in disgust.

"I'm…I'm Benjamin Kingsley!"

Jess hadn't bothered to remember the guy's name in the movie, just the name of the actor who'd played him, who was named Ben Kingsley.

Then again, Tony had never actually _heard_ of Ben Kingsley. Judging by the career Jess claimed the man had, he ought to know the dude.

"I just wanted to act!" the man shirked. "Be a great thespian! Rise above the plebeians—"

"Yo! Stark!"

Tony whirled around, holding his gun out in front of him, his eyes wide and heart thundering against his arc reactor.

"You've looked better," Clint-Freaking-Legolas-Barton was standing in the doorway as casual as if he'd just run into Tony in the tower.

Or at least Tony hoped it was Barton, as the guy had long white-blonde hair and his nose was a little funny.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tony demanded, still pointing his gun at Legolas.

"He's the new guard," Ben Kingsley offered helpfully. "Assigned to me."

"I keep him in bitches," Clint flatly said, studying his nails.

"You really look like Legolas. Please tell me that's a wig," Tony said, motioning to the long, flowing, blond hair with his free hand.

"Heck yeah," Clint said, ripping his wig off his head and pulling his nose off.

Ben Kinglsey made a nigh pitched noise and Tony finally lowered the gun to his side.

"I knew that wasn't your nose," Tony commented.

"So, Aldrich Killian is the real terrorist just as Witton told us," Clint went on, pulling knives out of various hiding spots on his person as he shed his costume. "The other guards all ran off. Well, a few of them. One of them told me Killian was mental and turned tail without a fight. Like it when they do that. Mostly 'cause it's funny."

"Who the hell is Aldrich Killian?" Tony demanded.

"OMG, TONY!" Clint shouted, dropping a few knives to pull at his own short hair while standing in a pile of cheap clothing.

"OMG, YOU ARE NAKED!"

"I am not," Clint snapped, pulling bag out of nowhere and expertly redressing himself in his Hawkeye costume. Or outfit. Or uniform. Or whatever Clint called it.

"I know Killian is the guy behind the think tank that developed Extremis and Jess said he was the real bad guy, but what the hell does he have against me?"

"OMG, TONY!" Clint shouted again, putting his knives and various other weapons back in their hiding places on his person. "Let's go find Rhodey."

"What? What's Rhodey doing here?"

Clint shook his head and walked out. Tony quickly followed. Clint took care of the guards they came across till they found Rhodey (who had escaped from where ever they had been holding him).

"You going golfing?" Tony asked, noticing Rhodey was in a polo and khakis.

Rhodey cut him a cold look. "They took my suit!"

"They took our jobs!" Clint said in a strange voice.

"Not the time, Barton," Tony scolded. "We've got trouble in River City if they got his suit."

"I don't know how it happened," Rhodey said. "Okay, I know how it happened, but—"

"Not now. We've gotta save Air Force One and the fake president," Clint said, turning around and couching down near a wall.

"Fake president?" Rhodey and Tony asked in unison, following Clint.

"Hmmm," Clint hummed, slinging his bow over his shoulder. "SHEILD knows. And unlike Tony Stark, SHIELD listened to Witton."

Tony punched Clint in the arm. Hard. Clint just grinned.

"So, where can we get a boat?" Clint asked, putting an earpiece into his ear.

Tony opened his mouth to tell Clint he was Tony-Freaking-Stark and he could take anyone's boat when something the actor had said earlier occurred to him.

"I have an idea! The actor has a boat! He was waxing on about his boat before I demanded his name," Tony cried, leaping to his feet and heading back the way they came.

Tony found the guy had remained exactly where Tony had left him, humming vacantly while he stared into space.

The guy was so baked.

But, he did indeed have a speed boat, which Tony commandeered so he and Rhodey could save the day— well, with Clint's help.

"This is not how I imagined us working together!" Rhodey shouted steering the speed boat along the water as Tony fitted his wireless Iron Man remote onto his head. Clint was on the bow, crunched down, scanning the air for Air Force One.

Or not really Air Force One, as it lacked the actual president according to Clint Barton.

"YO!"

Tony almost screamed. Rhodey clearly had not just shouted so damn clearly in his ear, who who was shouting?

"You gotta spare suit?" Clint asked, suddenly standing next to Tony.

"No."

"You're going to remote control it?" Clint asked, motioning to the headgear Tony was sporting.

"This is the only—"

Tony had a whole another army of suits in New York that had either been buried in rubble or met death by salt water.

"New plan. Clint, in the suit. Be careful, it's a test model and not fully-functional— hence why I was going to play a video game," Tony admitted.

"Whatever, man."

The suit landed as Tony recalled it and he set about getting another suit to him ASAP.

* * *

_In this life we don't have a lot of time / We don't have the time to wast it / We've got to make the best of what we have_

_-MxPx, "Don't Look Back" _

* * *

Clint arrived on the scene too late to stop the impostor Iron Patriot from running off with the fake president. Iron Man, the actual one, was no where in sight as Clint entered the plane.

"I got the ones in the air. Get the others off the jet!" Tony's voice shouted in Clint's ear.

"Agent Barton, I suggest we call everyone together and jump," JARVIS intoned.

Clint nodded and turned to the people still onboard the plane, all of whom were panicking.

"HI! I'm Iron Man, and I'm here to save you! Let's all hold hands and jump!"

He was not cut out for people interaction.

It didn't seem to matter, the screaming people all did as he said, shouting all the while about Iron Patriot being a bad guy and various other things people shout when they think they might die.

"I know! I know! But, I'm not evil, let's go!"

Clint and his line of people got out just in time for the plane to explode above their heads, several people leaping out before the explosion without holding onto Clint. The people at the end of the line grabbed a few people Iron Man was unable to get and Clint dropped the passengers into the ocean just as Iron Man did with his load.

"What's the plan, Iron Man?" Clint asked.

"You take that back to New York. Is Pepper good?"

"Yeah, she's fine, man. So's the other chick."

"Jess?"

"I was told she's okay, but I'm pretty sure she's a fruit loop if what Coulson said is true. She took one of her pills and kind of went…well, think of you drunk," Clint dryly joked, flying northward. "Fury, strangely enough, said we're to let you do what you want. Don't die."

"Don't plan on it. Gotta go," Stark said.

"He is gone, Agent Barton," JARVIS replied cooly.

"Okay, Jarv. Take me back to New York. I don't like this suit," Clint admitted. "It's kind of…tight."

"It is meant to be that way, sir," JARVIS intoned dryly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just take me home."

"You do not reside at Stark Tower, would your rather go to your apartment?"

"No. Just take me to Stark Tower," Clint said, rolling his eyes. "I spend more time at that blasted tower than my own home anyways."

"Yes, Agent, you do."

Clint sighed and used the rocket boosters to go faster. He hoped that Stark would sort everything out and there wasn't an exploding iron rig platform in his future.

* * *

_If I go there will be trouble / And if I stay it will be double / So come on and let me know_

_-The Clash, "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" _

* * *

Tony ripped off the head piece as the suit flew back on its own.

"Your suit showed up?"

Tony nodded.

Rhodey frowned. "You've landed yourself into something weird. Even for you."

Tony nodded his head in agreement, but pushed back on the chair he was seated in on the boat deck. He thought over what little he had actually heard when Jess had been trying to tell him about _Iron Man 3_. So far, each major plot point had happened almost as Jess had said it'd happened.

With minor change ups, like the fact Jess teleported Pepper and Hansen across the country and Pepper was safe in Stark Tower. Unless Killian was smarter than Tony (highly unlikely), there was no way he'd kidnap Pepper. (The only person Tony would EVER admit MIGHT get the best of him brains wise would be Loki. And Loki was not here, nor would Loki (the sane one) kidnap Pepper.)

(Speaking of Loki…)

"Something isn't right. Reindeer Games isn't involved, so… I guess it makes sense. But something's not right."

"Who the hell is Reindeer Games?"

"JARVIS, put me through to Pepper," Tony said.

He waited impatiently as the phone rang, having an odd feeling of déjà vu.

* * *

_I'm losing you and it's effortless / Without a sound we lose sight of the ground / In the throw around _

_-The Frey, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" _

* * *

"The suit made it to wherever Tony wanted," Jess announced, walking out of the elevator. She froze the moment saw Steve. Her unearthly green eyes darted between Steve and the blond man who'd somehow overpowered Steve. "Er, what's going on?"

"I've taken the building hostage," the man proclaimed arrogantly. He waved a gun back and forth, smiling happily. "It's just my time to shine."

"Guy Pearce," Jess stated flatly. "I should have guessed. What'd you do with everyone else?"

"Alrich Killian," the man corrected. "Contained them in the lab. Created a distraction. Can't have a whole bunch of super heros rushing in and ruining my plans." He paused, turning his back to Jess a moment to look at the skyline. "Where's Maya? I would like to shoot her for her betrayal."

"SHIELD took her."

The guy turned back around.

"Where?"

"Far Far Away Land," Jess flatly stated.

The man began to glow like a light up chunk of wulfenite, his eyes burning with fire. He took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself down. Steve wanted to pounce the guy, but whatever the man had done prevented Steve from moving anything except his eyes.

Jess took several steps backwards, coming to rest in a stance Steve recognized. She as poised to attack.

"Tony's not the only genius out there, you do realize this, right?" the guy said, cracking his neck and looking creepy. His skin began to look normal again.

Jess glanced at Steve, then back at the bad guy. Steve could tell the moment she'd made up her mind, as she stopped standing in attack mode and simply stood with her arms folded across her chest. Steve wanted to scream NO! DON'T DO THAT!

"I'll go with you," she offered. "Just don't hurt anyone."

"Ah, you know what I want."

"Of course I do," Jess muttered. "You want what Tony prizes to rub it in his face you got one up on him. You're a bitter loser who spent New Years on the roof."

The man tensed and opened his mouth to shout, the fire appearing in his eyes again.

"Oh, don't go shouting at me, Mondego," Jess snapped, pointing a finger at the man. "If you thought for a second Tony was serious, you're a certifiable moron. Tony is a self absorbed bastard who only cares about what he views as his. You've realized this, hence why you targeted Pepper, but gave that up after I teleported her and Maya here from California. With a little research, no doubt you've uncovered the events of Operation Destroy Tony's House."

The blond man took a few steps away from Steve, his entire world focused on Jess. He looked hungry, slowly approached her as if he were an animal closing in on its prey.

Steve was going to be sick if she went with Killian. He put all his strength into struggling, but was unable to move anything except his eyes and blinking wasn't getting his message across to Jess.

Steve was helpless.

Loki was going to kill him.

"Let me warn you, I have no control over my magic and if you jack me up on your fire drug, I'll likely just kill you. Kill Bill style."

Jess waved her arms around in front of her, making a strange noise.

"Fine. Challenge accepted."

"I hope you like show tunes. I sing all the time. Off key usually."

"Oh, I love show tunes. On and off key. Now, be a dear and get us out of here. I don't know how long the virus I loaded into Stark's AI will keep the others unaware of my presence."

Jess's mouth went tight and she looked disgusted as she took the guy's hand. He whispered something to her and they vanished into thin air just as the elevator dinged open. Pepper and Natasha fell out. Natasha scrambled to her feet quickly, reaching Steve before Pepper had managed to get back on her feet.

"What happened?" Pepper asked, sounding worried. "JARVIS told us there was an unknown up here and you weren't able to move."

"How the…" Natasha trailed off as someone landed on the platform outside. She looked helplessly at Steve, trying to figure out how to get him out of whatever device the man had used to prevent Steve from moving. Steve had no idea, but assumed he was in some sort of body binding device. All he could do was move his eyes and he couldn't see (or worryingly feel) his own body.

"Tony!" Pepper cried, running towards the balcony.

While Natasha puzzled over the device holding Steve hostage, Iron Man clanked into the room.

"Sorry, Ms Potts, it's just me," Clint's Iron Man voice said.

"Why are you in Tony's suit?" Pepper asked, as Clint raised the face plate. She didn't wait for an answer as her phone rang.

"What the hell happened here? What the hell is Steve in?" Clint asked, as Pepper answered the phone.

Steve felt a bit better knowing there was something physical holding him back. That still didn't explain why he couldn't feel anything. When had that started?

"I have no idea. I can't figure out how to get him out. Are you hurt?" Natasha asked, her light green eyes searching his blue ones. He blinked at her rapidly, hoping she'd understand he couldn't move. "Blink once for no, twice for yes."

Steve blinked once, since I don't know wasn't an option.

"Okay. Can you get it off in the suit?" Natasha asked, turning to Clint.

Clint clanked on over and grabbed something near Steve's arm and tugged.

The whole contraption fell apart and Steve collapsed to the floor. The moment he hit the ground his skin felt like it was on fire, his head pounding and every single inch of his body ached in a manner he was very unfamiliar with. He panted for a few seconds before saying, "Loki's going to kill me."

"Loki?" Pepper asked, looking baffled. "Did he do this?"

Steve shook his head, looking appalled that Pepper would think Loki would incapacitate Steve in such a manner. Reindeer Loki, maybe, but not the Loki Steve had gotten to know or the one who'd gone back to Asgard. Steve was sure of it.

Whoever was on the phone with her squawked, sounding outraged.

"Killian?" Natasha and Clint guessed at the same time.

Steve nodded again. "He wanted Jess, not Pepper. I guess after her teleportation stunt, he got wind she was Stark's newest…toy."

Pepper frowned, hitting a button on her phone.

"What is going on?" Tony's voice demanded. "Pepper?"

Steve pushed himself to his knees and sat back on his haunches. Pain shot through his nerves at the action, but he pushed it away.

"I know Tony doesn't think Jess is a toy," Steve clarified. "She went with Killian willing. What do you think he'll do to her? He can't jack her up on the drug, can he? She told him not to."

Everyone gave Steve pitting looks. If he could, he'd hit himself in the head. Sometimes he was so naive even he wanted to sock himself in the nose.

Not that he wanted anyone to hit him. He felt like someone was pouring acid on his nerve endings and ramming a spike through his head.

"Where did they go?" Clint asked. "Can we track her? Stark, you got readings on her. Can we trace her that way? Bruce is still here right? Can't he make some sort of algo-thingamabob and find her?"

"Yeah, where is Bruce?" Tony's voice asked through Pepper's phone.

"Witton might know what she's doing."

Now everyone stared at Natasha, who folded her arms across her chest.

"She was trained by two different Lokis. Did it occur to you, she might have tricked Killian into taking her?"

* * *

_Semolina pilchard climbing up the Eiffle Tower / Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna / Man you should have seen them kicking Edgar Alan Poe_

_-The Beatles, "I Am The Walrus" _


	3. Unbridled Spirit

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters. I do not own the plot to _Iron Man 3_, either, as it the screenplay was written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black. As always, if you know it, I fail to own it. **

* * *

**_Unbridled Spirit_**

* * *

_Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken / Hell, I'm the living lie for you so you can hide / Don't cry_

_-Evanescence, "Hello" _

* * *

Loki sat staring at the wall across from him in his white box with a huge picture window.

Why did his prison have a picture window?

Did he really care?

No.

Loki knew he was quite apathetic. Thor (who has some point had done research on Midgardian mental diseases) had suggested a few times (to anyone who would listen) Loki was depressed and needed aid.

Loki was not depressed. He was apathetic. There was a difference and Loki was quite familiar with this variance due to the fact he had been depressed in the past.

Apathetic.

The best word to describe himself.

Loki didn't give two shakes about anything and he sure did not need "help" as Thor was suggesting. Daily, his mother came to see him, pleading with him to eat, to read, to do something other than slouch against the wall and stare into space. Odin simply stared at Loki for long periods of time as if he didn't know him.

He didn't.

No one on Asgard did.

Thor spent a great deal of time attempting to play therapist. He'd read all about those at some point— since when did Thor read? Thor apologized for causing Loki to think he wasn't important. He apologized for mocking Loki's chosen method of fighting, for allowing his own friends to treat Loki badly and a myriad of other things. Thor begged Loki to eat. Brush his hair. Cut his hair. Do something other than slouch against the wall.

Loki sent Thor withering looks till he went away.

"This is quite pathetic."

Loki blinked several times as someone materialized right before his eyes inside the prison. He cocked his head to the side and stared at the being. She was…strange looking. One half of her was a stunningly gorgeous woman with shiny, slightly wavy, raven hair and a green eye similar in color to what Loki would find if he looked in a mirror. The skin on this side was creamy, pale and perfect.

The other half of the woman, though, was anything but pretty.

It was out of a horror story.

She looked kind of like those made up characters featured on that show on the science fiction channel where they did amazing things with makeup to transform people into fictional beings.

The longer he stared at that half of her, the less horrifying she became with her rotting, greying skin, missing eyeball, and patchy hair.

"You are not alarmed by my appearance," she stated flatly.

"You look like one of those zombies on television— only without the foaming mouth or the blood," Loki replied flatly. He cocked his head to the other side. "I should have read more comics, then I might know who you resemble."

The being shifted, floating above the white floor of the cage as she came closer.

"I am a comic book character in some realities," she allowed, her voice deep and melodious. "I thought it best to appear to you as my true self, as I fear you will have trouble with what I divest this morn."

Loki stared at her blankly.

The being waved her hand and basic wooden chair appeared. She sat down, carefully arranging her black silk skirts. She raised her rotting hand and moved some of the stringy black hair on her rotting side out of her face and stared down Loki.

"Jessica is in trouble," the being stated.

"And you care because?"

"She is my daughter."

Loki sat up straight for the first time since he'd entered the white box. "Pardon? Your daughter? You are the mother who abandoned her?"

Loki stared at the horrifying being through new eyes. How was his friend— his best friend, the first real friend he'd had who accepted him as he was— related to the thing in front of him?

"I had to take my leave," the thing explained indifferently. "I am Hel, or Hela in some myths, depending on translation. I am from yet another dimension. One where I am Loki Odinson's and Angrboda's child. One of three they had."

"Pardon?"

"In this reality, you never begot children with a Frost Giant. You never saw a Frost Giant in person until the day you realized you were one," the being went on.

Loki felt anger well within him at the reminder.

That was new. He hadn't felt anything in such a long time he almost welcomed the anger seething within.

"Best not be mad, Loki Laufey-Odinson. Do you remember Tom Hiddleston?"

"What does he have to do with anything?"

"If he were to have children, would you claim them as your own?"

"No," Loki spat, looking at the being as if she were insane. "I am not Tom Hiddleston."

"The Loki who is my father, is not you, correct?"

"No. I've never…begot children with a Frost Giant," Loki flatly stated.

"No, in this reality, you are childless."

Loki nodded.

"In my reality, Loki is not childless. My father has many children and all their fates…Asgard was not kind to them. I was banished to Niflheim."

Loki frowned.

"The reasons are not important. I was put in charge of boarding and lodging the souls sent there for rest and this was a job I did for many centuries until I grew bored. I took another form and traversed through realities."

"You— that's possible?"

"It is hard. I would not advise it," Hel said flatly. "I stumbled upon the Midgard you met Jessica upon. You were drawn there by the Fates to bring her to a reality where she could belong."

"The Fates?" Loki asked flatly.

"The Fates, God, the Powers that Be, whatever you wish to call it," Hel said flippantly, flapping her rotting hand in the air next to her head in a familiar gesture. "Reality is what you make of it."

Loki nodded and indicated for her to continue.

"I fell in love. A being such as myself, one of death, should never love. I remained in my mortal form and carried two children. I worried what would become of them as they grew older, but felt death on Jonathan before anything grew within to danger him upon a planet with no magic."

"Jessica is…she's a mature woman. Surely…"

"Jonathan's life line was short and he was still young when he perished. He craved danger and it was his end."

The being spoke so flatly and unemotionally. She blinked her green eye, keeping it locked on Loki. Loki felt something was…off.

"Jessica, though, she has a life line that is a little too long to be normal on Earth. I worried," Hel explained. "I was unsure what to do for her. I left to find the answer."

The being looked away, showing Loki only her rotting half of her face. When she looked back, Loki realized she was trying to control her emotions, which must only show on the beautiful side of her face.

"Time moves differently between realities. In my own, I was only gone a few short hours, but on Earth, many years passed."

"When you returned to Earth, she was grown?"

"I never returned. I found my answer when I came across you within the Void."

"Did you rip me into two?"

"You were shattered in many pieces," Hel admitted, her beautiful side frowning. "The…anger, madness, rage, pain, and self-loathing filled being was being pulled towards…"

"The Chitauri," Loki filled in.

Hel nodded. "The rest of you was scattered within the Void. It was…abnormal, but I knew the pieces left were aid for my Jessica."

"You sent me to Earth? To Jessica?"

"I put you together," Hel said. "I did not send you anywhere. The Fates had decided to send you— it was written in the swirls of light around the pieces. I wanted her to get the most of you she could and not fragments. I wasn't sure what you were supposed to look like. The scattered pieces were emotions, colors, intangible. Your body was gone by the time I reached the scattered in pieces remaining. I only had a glimpse of what you had been."

"I was a cat when I arrived on Earth. In a pile of my clothing."

Hel looked a little sheepish. "I apologize for that. As stated before, I only caught a glimpse of your body before it vanished. I had to fashion you a new form with what magic you were left with and a feline was the largest form I could make. I hoped you'd recover once you were on Earth and be able to…become yourself once more. I copied the clothing the other had the best I could, wrapping you up to make sure the clothing made the trip with you. I waited till you were pulled into another reality. I was not sure till a few moments ago you had found my Jessica. As I told you, time moves differently between realities. A day had passed on my home world. I have yet to be missed. I only put you together an hour ago, and yet you've already formed a lasting bond with Jessica."

Loki stared, unsure what to say.

"It has been six months since you were on Midgard," Hel replied. "I know you've lost track of time."

"How?"

"Your hair."

Loki looked confused.

"One thing with all your…incarnations…they are somewhat fussy about their hair I've discovered." Hel let a small smile cross her beautiful side. "You are apathetic. You sit here within your white prison and stare at the wall. You have given up, thrown the towel in and are resigned to wasting away without Jessica's companionship, without the blonde mortal— "

Loki felt slight alarm and his cheeks heated up. Emotions tore through him at an alarming rate. Joy, fear, desire, hope, happiness, want— all things he'd not felt in months.

"What makes you—"

"I do not know you, that is true. I only know the…human condition."

"I am not human."

"Ah, but the human condition, as defined by humans, applies to all sentient beings methinks."

Loki humphed, casting his eyes to the ground.

He felt alive. He took a few steading breaths.

"Your armor lost it's magic because it was a copy of your original. It had enough of your magic to last for a bit, but I believe when you called it to you the first time, it lost it's magic, correct?"

Loki stared unblinkingly at her, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Magic is funny. Jessica is a magical being, as she is my daughter," Hel explained. "The problem with Jessica is she is part mortal from a non-magical reality. While she would have had an unnatural long life on her own world, in this reality when magic was applied to her being, it awoke the magic within her. She is much too old."

Loki understood instantly the problem and mentally kicked himself in the head for leaving her alone and defenseless on Midgard.

"Thor said she felt like his hammer," Loki muttered.

Hel nodded. "Yes. Her magic is small compared to you or any other magical being you might know in this reality. And yet, it will grow the longer she uses it till it destroys her. I had not meant for her to come to this reality and use her magic, simply know people who would not slight her for her long life."

Hel gave Loki a pointed look and Loki looked away.

"At the moment, she is being held captive by a strange man who has fire slowly destroying him from the inside out."

Loki sat up straight, emotions pouring through him too quickly to even being to fathom what he was feeling other than alarm.

"Do you care, Loki Laufey-Odinson?" Hel asked, soft smile appearing on the beautiful side of her face.

"Of course I care! She's my friend!"

Hel smiled fully with both sides of her face. It was disturbing and not a very good look for the being.

"Ah, good," Hel praised. "I feared you'd misunderstand and feel like she was your granddaughter, for she is not as I am not your daughter. My father is not you."

Loki nodded, having understood this easily.

"She accepts me for who I am," Loki explained. "She always has."

"Of course she does," Hel replied. "She is her father's daughter."

She studied her nails on her rotting hand for a moment before speaking again.

"And the blond man— Steven Rogers, I believe? He has been harmed in your absence. He burns from the inside out in a very strange way."

Loki felt his magic stir, even though Odin had bound it as the anger raged within. Loki might not know Steven Rogers as well as he knew Jessica, but he was no longer apathetic. He remembered his connection to the tall, handsome, blond solider. His heart beat frantically and his mind began to whirl.

"What of the others?" Loki inquired. "Thor has not spoken…Thor has not told me as of late their well fare."

"The Man of Iron is wallowing in his own personal pain and inability to deal with almost meeting his death, Agent Barton, Doctor Banner and Agent Romanov are all flourishing. Agent Coulson is quite right and Director Fury is, well, currently he is rather furious," Hell quipped. "I believe you know how your brother fares."

Loki felt his eyebrow twitch and mouth spasm at the _brother_ reference. Hel smiled again (with both sides of her face) and rose to her feet.

"I except you to get yourself out of your white prison and to Midgard. I do not know what the Fire Man plans to do, nor what it means. I must return to my own reality. I know you understand the feeling when you do not belong."

Loki nodded, remembering the feeling that ate at him during his time on Other Earth.

"Wait, why does Jessica feel…why does she belong here? She is not from here. She's from Other Earth. If there was somewhere she ought to feel at home, it'd be your reality not mine."

"She will never belong in my reality as she belongs here," Hel said softly. "The Fates, the Powers that Be, the master of the entire universe, or whatever decided she belongs here. Just as they decided you belong here, whole."

Loki fisted his hands in his soft black trousers and nodded.

"Be well, Loki Laufey-Odinson."

The next time Loki looked up, the being was gone.

* * *

_Looks like I'm gonna do everything myself / Maybe I could use some help, but hell / You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself_

_-Limp Bizkit, "Boiler" _

* * *

"Sir."

"What?"

"The President is missing."

"What!?"

"The Secret Service is…having a slight conniption. They've protected the Vice President and we are unable to get to him."

"Tell me you are pulling my leg."

"No, sir. The President is gone."

"How can he be gone? He's in a freaking underground bunker?!"

"Sir, he's not there. Eagle Two is, though. Dead."

Nick Fury cursed.

"What are we doing about this?" Nick demanded.

"Trying to get a hold of Iron Man."

Nick cursed again.

"Where's Witton."

Silence.

"Where. Is. Witton?"

"Killian kidnapped her. He incapacitated Captain America with some sort of…metalloid brace that injected something we're unable to trace. Killian gave Stark's AI a virus to mask his appearance for a short period. The AI is fine, according to Doctor Banner. Captain America is also fine according to Doctor Banner, or will be once the drug is out of Captain America's system. The drug is experimental but we cannot find anything on in in AIM's servers."

Nick cursed a blue streak and slammed his phone into the desk a few times.

Taking a calming breath, he put the phone back to his ear.

"Coulson, this is now a level six."

"Yes, sir."

"What are you going to do?"

"Send the Avengers to Miami," Coulson replied.

"Good. Did Stark ever figure out how to contact Asgard?"

"No. Witton has suggested simply screaming at the sky. Heimdall will hear you."

Nick slammed the phone down, cursing loudly. Several people passing his office hurried to get far away as possible. Knowing he didn't want an audience while he shouted at Heimdall (who ever that was), Nick headed for the roof. Lots of people stood on the roofs of skyscrapers shouting at the heavens. He'd fit right in.

* * *

_It's not confidential / I've got potential / A rushin', a rushin' around. _

_-The Killers, "Somebody Told Me"_

* * *

Loki stood with his palms pressed to the glass waiting. At any moment someone, be it his mother, his father or Thor, would appear to try to get him to show emotion or action.

The past six moths they'd been annoying gnats and now that he wanted out, they were nowhere in sight.

Finally, Loki heard the thunder of Thor's footsteps. Something within him ease and unknotted.

"Brother!"

"Yes, Thor?"

Thor faulted for a moment, clearly surprised to find Loki standing and pressing against the window.

"You're standing."

"Clearly. What did you wish to tell me?"

"Heimdall has seen many things happening on Midgard. I asked after Lady Jessica and was told she is in grave danger. Nicholas Fury began shouting for Heimdall to let you know it was not his fault Lady Jessica was taken by some man called Killian. Director Fury also would like you to get your butt down here. His words."

"Let me out, then," Loki urged, pressing his palms harder against the glass. "I can come out when I'm no longer crazy. Not crazy. See? I brushed my hair."

Thor shifted and frowned, but made no move to let Loki out or to go get Odin.

Loki sighed, banging his head against the glass.

More footsteps sounded on the stairs. Looking up, he was greeted by the sight of Odin and and his mother.

"Mother. Father," he greeted flatly.

His mother smiled largely, letting go of Odin's arm and moving to the glass. She placed her palm where his rested flat against the glass.

"Oh, Loki. You've come back," she sighed, her eyes large and wet.

"I never left," Loki said, frowning. He pressed his palm against the glass, feeling warmth radiate from his mother's palm and into his. He had failed to realize he felt so cold.

"You care for something," Odin flatly stated. He took a few clanky steps forward.

"Someone and I do."

"She is in danger."

"They. They are in danger," Loki forced himself to admit. Hel's words lingered in his mind about the danger both Steve and Jess found themselves in.

Odin nodded his head. "How did you find this out?"

"Hel told me."

His adpoted family stared at him as if he had sprouted a few more heads.

"The Queen of Nieflheim was here?" Odin asked, tightening his grip on Gungnir.

"From another reality," Loki admitted, frowning a little. "You know of her?"

"She is the keeper of the underworld," Odin flatly stated. "I did not think you knew her."

"I do not. She was from another reality and another Loki's daughter."

Odin shook his head, holding up a hand. "Enough. I am too old to deal with various realities. There is a matter at hand we must deal with and I fear we have little time."

Loki nodded.

"You have been locked within this cell for the past six months and have shown no remorse for your actions, yet have shown no joy either. Why should you be seen fit to leave this cell?"

"I'll return to it once I am sure Jessica is out of the mad man's clutches," Loki reasoned. "And that Steven is no longer…in danger."

"I could send Thor."

"How?"

"Tesseract," Odin simply said.

Loki frowned. "You'd risk sending it back to Earth? That would not be wise. Thanos is still out there. If the Tesseract goes to Midgard, it will be vulnerable."

Odin extended his head in agreement.

"How will I know you will return?"

"I can take Thor with me if you want," Loki offered, eyeing his brother. "I will return even if you do not send Thor with me."

"Can you take him with you along the pathways you secretly travel?"

"Yes, he can, Father. He's done it before," Thor butted in.

Frigga heaved a great sigh. "Are you sure, Loki?"

"Yes."

His mother searched Loki's face for a long time before inquiring, "Will you bring her back here?"

"She— I should. She needs…she needs to have her magic bound."

Odin appeared mildly confused.

"We do not have time for this!" Thor shouted. "Midgard is in danger! Lady Jessica is in danger! And Captain America has been harmed! Let us go!"

Odin eyed his eldest son for a moment, sighed and waved his hand. Loki tumbled forward to the ground, no one able to catch him as the glass vanished from under his hands. Loki quickly got to his feet and made his armor appear. Looking down at himself, he felt almost a childish joy at seeing the armor that declared him a Prince of Asgard.

"Oh, Loki," Frigga sighed, staring at her son.

"Let us go," Thor said, clapping Loki on the shoulder, who had also called upon his armor.

"Return, son," Odin ordered gravely.

Loki felt he was missing something, but he was too concerned with making sure Jess and Steve were safe figure it out.

* * *

_You and I go hard at each other like we're going to war / You and I go rough, we keep throwing things and slamming the door._

_-Maroon 5, "One More Night"_

* * *

"Where do you think he is?"

"Killian? I don't know. Dead?"

"He's not dead."

"In a cellar. Bad guys like the dark."

"So do you."

"Only when I'm hungover. And that hardly happens any more."

"Tony, you're hiding under a table."

"I am not."

"You are."

"Shut up, kid."

"Don't tell the kid to shut up," Rhodey scolded. "What are we doing back in Tennessee?"

"Volunteering?"

"Tony," Rhodey said in a warning tone.

"Where's my sister's watch?" Harley wanted to know.

"I'll get you a new one. Bad guy stepped on it."

"Tony," Rhodey said again, a tired tone in his voice.

"What?"

"The Avengers are assembling."

Tony cursed, crawling out from under the table, peering at the cell phone both Harley and Rhodey were standing around. There was a video by the Mandrian (the actor) playing.

"I have the President of the United States held hostage. Behold!" shouted Ben Kingsley.

There was a screen shot of a guy who looked eerily like the actual president, not the stand in like Clint had mentioned. That would explain the whole assembling thing. Though, why no one had bothered to mention it to Tony when he talked to them after Jess was kidnapped— well, they might have. Tony kind of had a panic attack. He was busy. Then he came back to Tennessee to have another one.

Maybe he should steal some of Jess' happy pills?

"Shouldn't they have called Iron Man?" Harley asked, frowning as the footage played yet again.

Tony got to his feet and glowered.

"They did try to contact him. He hid under the table."

"I had an anxiety attack!"

"Loki threw him out a window," Rhodey explained to the kid.

"HE THREW! ME! OUT A WINDOW!" Tony shouted, feeling his heart speed up again. "IT WAS HIGH UP AND I COULD HAVE DROWN!"

"But, you're still here," Rhodey reminded Tony. "He threw Thor out twice and I don't see Thor hiding under a table."

"I don't see Thor period."

"MAN OF IRON!"

Tony jumped and cursed a little too colorfully for a kid's ears.

The door to the garage was in pieces and, low and behold, there stood Thor the God of Thunder in his Asgard best. He appeared a bit bewildered at the state of the door, the remains of which were in his hand not holding his hammer.

"Thor! What the hell?" Tony screeched, hiding under the table again.

"Thor?" Harley asked in a high pitched voice.

"I am Thor!" Thor merrily announced upon spotting Harley. "I've been tasked to find the son of Stark! Here he is!"

Thor took a few steps into the garage, looking around in a puzzled manner.

"What sort of place is this?"

"Garage," Rhodey supplied.

Thor stared at him.

"Colonel Rhodes," Rhodey introduced, extending his hand to the blond overly loud thunder god.

"Thor Odinson," Thor announced, and attempted to crush Rhodey's hand.

"He's also Iron Patriot!" Harley announced. "And I'm Harley! I'm hiding Iron Man!"

Thor looked perplexed, turning to Tony, who was busy trying to breathe.

"What is the matter with him?"

"He's having a panic attack over here!" Tony shouted. "Just leave me alone!"

Tony buried his head between his legs.

"Your leader is in danger according the son of Coul," Thor proclaimed. "My brother—"

Tony shot to his feet, ramming his head on the table. "Loki's here!"

"Oh no!" Harley shouted, clapping his hands over his mouth. "Is he trying to take over the world again?"

Everyone stared at the kid.

"Loki has no desire to rule Midgard, child," Thor said, frowning. "He was…mentally unbalanced and not himself. He is better now." Thor beamed. "He is no longer pathetic after his visit from Hel!"

"What?" Tony asked. "Hell visited him?"

"The Queen of the Nieflhiem from another reality," Thor reported. "He was very…animated he come to Midgard to aid Lady Jessica and Captain America."

Tony snorted. "Why didn't he stay when she was trying to figure out her magic? Wait, what's wrong with Steve now?"

Thor shook his head. "Captain America will be recover according Doctor Banner and Loki. Lady Jessica ought not to be blessed with the gift of magic. The Fire Man is likely…injecting her with the Fire Virus. Loki is most upset."

"Oh no," Tony muttered.

Whole Loki was likely like Evil Loki when upset. Killian had messed with the two people on this planet likely to bring forth the Reindeer side of Loki if harmed.

Just peachy.

"Loki is the bad guy!" Harley cried. "Why do you all talk like you're friends with him?"

"Look, kid, there were two Lokis. One was good and one was evil. Clearly the press forgot to report the one who saved all the people who have the misfortune to live near me in Malibu. Green shields? Remember those? Cast by Good Loki, also known as GQ. Because he's pretty."

Tony crawled out from under the table, rubbing his head.

"Who is here? Good or Evil?"

"Whole Loki," Tony said, moving around the garage lab and attempting to finish all the changes he had started on the suit that had joined him from New York (He was working through his attacks till the phone had rung. Oh yeah, now Tony remembered). Tony was only slightly upset Clint had run off with the suit he'd been using— it was much more advanced and better than this one.

Though, this one actually would work properly no matter what. It was tested.

"My brother is a complicated being," Thor allowed. "Son of Stark, we must be on our way. Iron Patriot may join us. You have a suit of iron as well?"

"I did," Rhodey sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "They stole it. I'd like it back."

"Ah."

"I HATE THIS! WHY DO THEY KEEP MESSING WITH MY STUFF!" Tony shouted, throwing a screw driver.

Thor eyed Tony wearily.

"Loki is trying to track Lady Jessica along with Doctor Banner. We must be going. SHEILD is working to narrow down where this Mandarin plans to make his final attack with the aid of Loki's knowledge of Other Earth."

"I know where he plans to make it," Tony said gravely. "I doubt it changed."

"What do you mean?" Rhodey asked.

"He's still going to use the oil rig. Politics, you know?" Tony reminded Rhodey. "Killian is all about the politics it seems."

"I've been instructed to take you to some place called Miami," Thor said. "Loki gave me a map."

He tapped the side of his head.

"I can't handle Loki being a good guy," Harley muttered.

"The bad guy was named Reindeer Games. The good guy was called GQ. Now they got different names," Tony offered, gathering up the pieces of his suit. "JARVIS, we good to go?"

"As good as we can be, sir," JARVIS' voice came out of the helmet.

"Thor, grab Rhodey. I'll fly myself to Miami."

Thor nodded.

"What?" Rhodey asked. "He can fly?"

"Of course. Remember when he got thrown out of the window twice? One time, he flew to safety," Tony said, jamming the helmet on as the rest of the amor fit itself around his body. "How do you think he did it?"

Thor put an arm around Rhodey, picking him up as if he weighed nothing. After instructing Tony to follow, the pair took off for Miami.

* * *

_Give me a song and I'll sing it like I mean it / Give me the words and I'll say them like I mean it _

_-The Feeling, "Sewn" _

* * *

"I am so sorry."

"Steven, if you apologize one more time, I will punch you in the mouth," Loki said in a dangerously low tone.

Steve gulped.

"But, I—"

Loki looked up, narrowing his eyes. (Those brilliant Amazon jade— no, British verdigris eyes Steve itched to paint.)

Steve was thrilled when Loki randomly appeared in Stark Tower, standing in the place Tony had marked out where the Loki in the movie from Jess's planet had gotten Hulk Smashed into the floor.

Then, Steve feared for his life when he noted the stormy expression on the God of Mischief's face.

Loki knew.

So, Steve had begun to apologize, trying to talk around the pounding in his head and move his non-working legs and arms. (They worked, just not they way they were supposed to work. His movements were all jerky.)

"Steven. Please stop moving," Loki ordered as he leveled Steve with a steely look. "I must concentrate if I am going to get this out of your system."

"What? I thought I had to wait for it to leave naturally?"

Loki gave Steve a annoyed glare. Steve gulped, but stopped trying to follow Loki around the lab. Bruce had told Steve he wasn't going to die, but he might have a painful headache for awhile and be unable to move correctly till the drug worked itself out of his system. The serum should have made it leave faster, but it seemed Killian had compensated for that, as it'd been at least six hours since Killian had taken Jess and Steve was still moving like a marionette puppet and felt like someone was pounding a nails into his body.

"Got it," Bruce called from the other end. "That was the sequence I needed. She's in Miami, just six miles off from where you told Thor to head based on where the attack on Air Force One occurred."

"Excellent," Loki said, sounding slightly distracted as he waved his hands around whatever petri dish he'd been handed by Bruce minute after he walked into the lab, with Steve on his heels.

"Have you figured it out?"

"Yes, Bruce, I believe…" Loki snapped and a clear vial appeared in his hand. He handed it to Steve. "Swallow."

Steve followed directions without question. As soon as he'd swallowed, the feeling of pain in his body lessoned. He moved his arm a little and it moved much more smoothly than it had been moving.

"Wow."

"Excellent."

Loki moved across the lab, tapped a screen, nodded and hurried back to another corner and began dumping and pouring things left and right. Bruce joined him and the pair began babbling in science. Steve sat down on the couch in the lab clutching the glass vial watching Loki move.

Loki had a grace to him that Steve had never witnessed in another being before. It was almost impossible to look away as Loki moved about the lab with a manic air to him.

Manic, yet still graceful.

Unlike Jess. When she was manic, she moved like a blur and with no grace at all. It was amazing she hadn't split her head open.

"Rogers! Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Steve jerked to find Clint leaning in the doorway. Clint smirked, turning his attention to Loki and Bruce.

"Thor's got Colonel Rhodes and Iron Man to Miami. Tasha's got the jet ready to go. Can we take Captain America or is he grounded?"

Loki glanced up from what he was doing. "Steven is fit, but I don't think he should take part in battle until he's tested in a controlled environment. His movements remain unnatural."

"Figured."

Clint tossed something at Steve, who caught it with fumbling fingers, even though he felt better.

"Take a picture."

Steve glared at Clint, who smirked again. He turned heel and left.

"You will be battle worthy soon, Steven. Do not frown," Loki said, turning his attention back to whatever he and Bruce were doing. Loki was moving manically, almost losing his grace in his need to finish whatever he and Bruce were working on.

"Loki, if you do that— just let me finish this. We're almost there."

"I don't know how long it took Stark to figure it out," Loki said, sounding helpless.

Steve's heart twisted.

"I know. We're close. If Killian has jacked her up on the Extremis virus, we'll have a cure by the time they get her back. I know you want to be there, so, go. I'll finish. I've got a half working Captain America and I am a green rage monster."

Bruce gave Loki a look, which made Loki scoff.

"I know you're worried about it reacting with her magic," Bruce said quietly.

"She shouldn't be using her magic, but she's using it a lot as of late," Loki worried. "Why am I so dim?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Bruce said.

Steve lurched to his feet and hurried over (only ramming into a table once) and put his arm around Loki, who appeared as if he was going to explode. Bruce looked helpless till Steve arrived and got his arm around Loki, who calmed instantly, even if he was still scowling.

"You couldn't have known," Steve assured. "You said people didn't just give magic and she's human."

"Half-human," Loki whispered. "She's half…Frost Giant."

Loki shuttered.

"Really?" both Steve and Bruce asked together.

Loki sighed, leaning into Steve a little. He put his face in his large hand and sighed. "I do not know how it works, exactly. Her mother is from another reality. An offspring of two Frost Giants, yet she doesn't look anything like a Frost Giant. The beings true form is one of nightmares. But she can shape shift."

"Is…do you think…Jess is…well, locked in her form as you were?" Bruce asked quietly.

Loki lifted his head, frowning. "I do not know. I refused to let her touch me in my Frost Giant form for fear of burning her."

"We can figure this out later," Bruce said.

"YO!" yelled Tony's voice from a monitor on the far side of the lab. "We're here and I'm calling my Suit Army of Awesomeness because none of you guys are here yet! Rhodey's going to get the President and I'll find Jess. Anyone there?"

"We are here, Stark," Loki snapped.

"GQ! So happy you could make it! Crap!" Tony shouted. "JARVIS HURRY UP!"

Steve turned to say something to Loki to find himself holding air.

* * *

_Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot / My twitching muscles teases my flippant thoughts / I've never really dreamed of heaven much_

_-Bright Eyes, "Easy/Lucky/Free" _


	4. Live Free or Die

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters. I do not own the plot to _Iron Man 3_, either, as it the screenplay was written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black. "Don't Rain on My Parade" was written by Bob Merrill, composer Jule Styne. As always, if you know it, I fail to own it.**

_A/N: I got the idea for this fight scene from a video I saw on YouTube. It's by VilyaXxXOllwyna and called The Avengers Crack!vid. After seeing the last bit, it was all down hill from there. _

_WARNING: Some violence and some grossness if you've got a vivid imagination. Nothing worst than what you'd get on CSI. (I can't actually watch CSI without covering my eyes during the gross bits, so I doubt the scene even up to CSI standards of ick.) _

* * *

**_Live Free or Die_**

* * *

_I'll tip my hat to the new constitution / Take a bow for the new revolution / Smile and grin at the change all around_

_-The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again" _

* * *

Tony ducked quickly back to his spot behind the crate next to Rhodey. He glanced at Thor before saying, "Lighting. Bad idea. This place is a firecracker."

Thor looked confused. Likely didn't know what a firecracker happened to be.

"Plus, who nows if you'll make the Fire Minion Army explode," Tony went on.

"So, what's the plan?" Rhodey asked.

Tony ran off.

Great plan. Awesome plan.

Rhodey stared at the spot where Tony had once been and turned his attention to Thor.

"Does that often, doesn't he?" Rhodey sighed.

"I do not know son of Rhode."

"Rhodes. If you're going to use my last name, use it right," Rhodey said. "Okay. I'm a colonel, I should be able to make a plan."

Thor quirked an eyebrow as something exploded in the distance.

Rhodey sighed, putting his face in his hands. "Okay, first thing. Let's get the President. He's the guy hanging in the air like a sacrificial lamb."

Thor nodded, a serious expression painting his features before he took off into the air, leaving Rhodey behind on the ground. Rhodey cursed, scrambling to his feet and climbing up for higher ground as Thor shot off like red and silver bullet towards the screaming President. Rhodey shot a few of the fire minions out of his way and got to the upper level relative unscathed.

"IT WILL BE OKAY, SIR! WE'VE GOT YOU!" Rhodey shouted out to the President as Thor used that strange hammer to brake the bonds holding the President in place.

The President screamed and shouted something about drapes.

Clearly, the man was delusional. Or suffering from trauma and panic— or shock.

Or all the above.

Thor finally broke through the first wire as someone screamed bloody murder somewhere below. The sound tore through Rhodey, making him shudder at the thought of what had drawn that kind of sound out of a human being.

"JESS!"

Tony flew out of nowhere (san an Iron Man suit) and landed beyond Rhodey's view.

"TONY!" Rhodey shouted, leaning over the railing.

"Patriot of Iron!" Thor bellowed.

Rhodey looked up just in time to get a face full of President.

* * *

_Face it and fight or turn tail and run / 'Till it comes back again just like the rising sun_

_-Megadeath, "Have Cool, Will Travel" _

* * *

"WHERE ARE YOU GUYS!" Tony shouted as he battled with one of the Fire Minions, her eyes orange with flames.

"On our way," came Natasha's voice calmly. "I thought you called your Army of Suits?"

"They are coming from NYC and Malibu."

"They also can fly at MACH 3," Natasha reminded him.

"Faster than the speed of sound!" Clint chirped, disgustingly cheery sounding.

Jess screamed, though this time it was a different sort of scream. It was not pained filled, but one filled with anger and rage. There was yet another loud explosion, which made Tony fall to the ground and the Fire Minion stumble backwards.

"GQ there yet?" came Banner's quiet voice over the com. "He left just after you announced your suit army."

"That was like a lot of minutes ago! Where is he?" Tony shouted, ducking another fiery punch.

He hated these fire idiots.

"JARIVS!" Tony shouted.

"Sir, we are here."

The sentence came in surround sound. Oh, happy day.

"WHO TOLD YOU YOU'RE ALLOWED TO RAIN ON MY PARADE?!" Jess screamed, her voice echoing all over the place.

Tony ducked and darted out of the fight, heading for a suit that JARVIS had kindly opened up for Tony to leap into. He jumped backwards off the bridge he was on, waving at the fiery eyed woman as the suit closed around him.

"Been great, but I gotta go," Tony said, shooting downwards towards where JARVIS had found heat readings mixed with magic.

At least the oil rig wasn't operational and wouldn't spew oil into the ocean. Like they needed _that_ disaster on their hands on top of everything else. Tony reached the area where the HUD was telling him a magical being hotter than hell was currently located. He landed and threw the door off its frame and was greeted by a lovely sight: Jess locked in battle with Killian. Tony hoped she was kicking his butt.

"Don't tell me not to live!" Jess snarled, trying to punch Killian.

Killian kicked Jess's feet out from under her.

"Just sit and putter," Killian ordered as she went down hard. He sneered and added, "I told you I love show tunes."

They were shouting show tunes at one another?

"Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter!" Jess shouted, shooting fire out of her hands. "I can out show tune you any day, Mondego!"

Green fire, not the orange stuff everyone else jacked up on Extremis had going for them.

Killian dodged the fire which allowed Jess to get to her feet.

"Stop calling me that!" Killian exclaimed.

"Don't bring a cloud to rain on my parade!" she shouted, her face contorted in rage as she roundhouse kicked Killian.

It was a familiar expression— one Tony had witnessed a few times on Reindeer Games in the heat of battle during his bag of cat crazy moments.

Killian recovered quickly and launched himself at Jess, sending them out a window with a shout of, "Don't tell me not to fly, I've simply got to!"

"JESS!" Tony yelled, taking off out the hole, only to be knocked off course by one of the Fire Minions.

* * *

_I wish there was a way / To give you a hand to hold / Cause you don't have to die in your glory / To die to never grow old_

_-Mika, "Heroes"_

* * *

Loki appeared in the mists of a fiery battle. There were orange humans flying everywhere locked in battle with various Iron Man suits. Loki's eyes darted everywhere trying to find Jess within the battle or sense her magic.

He couldn't sense anything other than chaos. He ought to have been able to sense another magical being.

Another bother, something blocked him from directly teleporting to the oil rig. He'd had to enter like a mortal. Once he was through the barrier, he was able to teleport into the heart of the battle.

"IF SOMEONE TAKES A SPILL. IT'S ME AND NOT YOU!"

"WHO TOLD YOU WERE ALLOWED TO RAIN ON MY PARADE!"

The voice shot through Loki and he zeroed in on where it'd come from. He saw Jess riding on one of the flying Iron Man suits, followed by another man— Killian. Killian leapt and landed top of Jess and they both tumbled off and free fell through the air till they were no longer there— all the while shouting at one another things that made little or no sense.

Where had they gone? Loki's eyes darted all over, trying to find them again.

"LOKI! WATCH OUT!" Tony shouted, grabbing Loki under the arms.

Loki's feet left the ground. Stark was deaf to his shouts to be put down. One of the fire minions catapulted through the air, landing on top of Stark. Loki twisted, and teleported out of Stark's grip.

Loki reappeared to find Jess and Killian battling one another with metal poles. Jess used the pole to aid in her fighting, spinning around and kicking Killian in the face. The man jerked back.

"I'm gonna live and live now!" Jess sneered, her face contorted in rage.

She was fiery rage personified, between the burt orange eyes and bright tangerine hair flying all over the place. It was obvious Killian had given her his virus and it was not mixing well with everything else that was amiss.

Loki's heart twisted and sunk.

"Get what I want— I know how!" Killian shouted in response, landing a blow. The metal pole in Jess' grasp went flying.

"One roll for the whole show bang!" Jessica cried, kicking out at Killian and sending him backwards, his metal pole flying through the air.

Killian vaulted to his feet before Loki could move to take him out. He punched Jess in the face as he cried, "One throw, that bell will go clang."

Jess spun and punched the man in the gut. "Eye on the target and wham!"

It did not seem to effect him in the least. He grinned manically.

"One shot, one gun shot and BAM!" Killian shouted, moving so quickly again Loki didn't realize what had happened till Jess's eyes stopped glowing orange and turned to normal. Her mouth opened in an O. Her hands went to her bare stomach (why was she only sporting a covering over her chest? Where was her shirt?). When she removed her hands they were covered in blood. She looked up at Killian. The life dimmed in her eyes and she fell backwards as the world began to explode.

Tony screamed.

Lots of people screamed.

Loki might have been one of them.

* * *

_We all have a dark side, to say the least / And dealing in death is the nature of the beast / One world, it's a battleground_

_-Pink Floyd, "The Dogs of War"_

* * *

Tony was in the air when it happened. He heard the gun shot above everything else, then everything exploded. He saw shimmering green within the orange mess and realized a little too late Loki was gone.

He ordered JARVIS to search the area. The only useful things JARVIS told Tony was Thor was alive, Rhodey had the President back in Washington, Killian and Loki were MIA and the Avengers had finally shown up (Avengers being Clint and Natasha, as Steve was broken and Bruce was doing important science).

"THOR! Where would Loki take some guy he wants to kill?" Tony shouted over the com.

"Pardon?" Thor thundered as somewhere in the distance something exploded back on shore.

Tony cursed.

"Hey, guys! Loki's moved the main fight! JARVIS and my Iron Man Suits of Awesome, deal with the mess here!"

Without waiting for an answer, Tony shot off towards the fire on shore— the house where Killian made his home base. Evil Loki liked to destroy people's homes.

Tony arrived on the scene to find Loki was so pissed off he wasn't even using magic to fight. He was all out brawling with Killian— in his blue skin.

Fire and Ice.

Somewhere in his head, Tony thought this was too awesome not to take a moment to enjoy. Yeah, Killian had shot Jess and that pissed Tony off more than anything, but the fight was gorgeous. Loki was going Fight Club on Killian's butt while house around them burned and froze all somehow at the same time.

Part of Tony knew he needed to pull Loki off Killian soon if he wanted Killian to live long enough to explain to Tony why in the name of all things good why he and Jess were screaming show tunes at one another…among other things.

Then again, Killian was an idiot. What did the moron think was going to happen if he jacked up a magical being on the flawed drug? Jess would suddenly become all docile and nice?

Tony hovered outside the house, dodging out of the way when Loki threw Killian out a window (clearly both Loki's enjoyed tossing people out windows). There was no high drop or water, so Killian crashed through the hedges— setting things on fire as he rolled through the backyard.

Loki took several steps forward before he stopped, his skin suddenly going pink and pale. His suddenly green (oh, so green) eyes bugged out of his head and his mouth dropped open somewhat unattractively. (No one was going to believe Tony if he said Loki could look unattractive.)

"Hey, Mr Killian?" came Jess's voice from behind Tony.

He whirled around in mid-air, loosing his balance and almost crashing to the ground at the sight of Jess standing in the yard a few feet from where Killian was burning down his lawn. She looked horrible. Her eyes were on fire, her hands were glowing green and her bare middle was covered in dry blood but healed flawlessly (she's also gained some killer abs at some point since Tony had last seen her). The only thing that looked better (other than her abs) was her hair, which was no longer crackling, but now flowing, smooth and glowing.

Odd.

"Here I am," she sang out in a creepy voice, violently reaching into the air next to her. Her hand vanished for a second before she tore her hand backwards, revealing what Tony knew was one of Loki's magical sticks.

Tony quickly took stock of what was happening as the air around him dropped a few degrees.

"Sir?" JARVIS inquired. "The temperature—"

"I know, I know," Tony interrrupted, landing next to Loki and grabbing his arm before he could launch himself into the coming fight. Loki put up a struggle till Tony quietly said, "She's gotta do this."

He was sweating inside the suit from the heat of the fire behind him and the amount of strength he had to exert to hold Loki back.

"Yo, GQ, can you put that fire out?" Tony asked hoping to distract Loki as Jess used the staff to whack Killian upside the head while shouting out lyrics to whatever show tune they'd been bantering with before.

Loki waved a hand over his shoulder and suddenly the entire mansion was encased in ice. Loki stopped struggling and grabbed onto Tony, shaking him as if he wanted to shake the man out of the suit.

"She mustn't use the staff," Loki said, his voice breaking. "She can't handle it. She can't…she…she…"

Loki swayed suddenly, his eyes rolling up into his head. Tony caught the god before he crashed to the ground, alarm shooting through him. Gods didn't just pass out.

Killian flew through the air as Jess shouted, "GET READY FOR ME, LOVE, CAUSE I'M A COMMER!"

Loki gasped as he came back to the world of the living, jerking forward in Tony's grasp. His eyes met Tony's through the mask and Loki looked alarmed as Tony felt.

"What's going on?" Tony asked, searching Loki's sweaty, unusually pale face. He glanced up as Jess thrust the staff at Killian, doubling him over. She whacked him upside the head sending him to his back.

"I SIMPLY GOTTA MARCH! MY HEART'S A DRUMMER!"

She set him on fire somehow. Green fire.

Loki clung to Tony, looking more drained of life by the minute. He worked his throat and mouth as if he was trying to talk, but was unable to make any noise. Tony tore his eyes off of Loki to watch the other two.

Killian struggled to get the green fire into his own control, but Jess was done with him. Magic built around her. Tony saw the stone at the top of the staff begin to glow a bright green and Loki choked, making noises like he couldn't breathe.

"NOBODY, NO, NOBODY IS GONNA RAIN ON MY PARADE!"

Jess thrust the magical stick through Killian's middle, twisted it and shouted something in what sounded like a made up language that caused the air to change. Tony felt something being ripped out of Loki as the demi-god sagged in Tony's arms while clawing at his metal clad chest. Tony and Loki both crashed to the ground as Killian exploded into a million pieces.

Tony really wanted to throw up.

"Jessica, no…" Loki moaned, slowly turning blue. Tony could feel the cold through his suit and it was shocking against how hot he was from all the fire and fighting.

Loki struggled to get out of Tony's arms, but did not seem to have the strength or control over his limbs to do so. Loki turned his head and stared behind him at Jess, who was panting slightly while still holding the staff where Killian formerly lay. Her eyes still on fire and her smooth, shiny, violently orange hair flowing around her mystically. She was covered in dancing green flames along with the orange glow of someone who was about to explode— but her hair looked awesome.

She met Loki's gaze and smiled in a sinister manner.

"Now whose the monster?" Jess asked, laughing in a broken manner before vanishing.

"No," Loki whispered before passing out.

He was still blue and radiating enough cold to likely change the weather in southern Florida.

Oh, and Loki weighted a ton for someone so damn skinny.

* * *

_Hear the sound of the falling rain / Coming down like an Armageddon flame / The shame, the ones who died without a name_

_-Green Day, "Holiday"_

* * *

"Sir?"

"What?"

"The VP has been arrested, the President is safe, and Killian is no longer a threat."

"He dead?"

"Yeah."

Nick sighed. "Okay. We'll deal with that."

"There's no body."

"What?"

"Witton blew him into tiny pieces. We've tried to gather them up, but, uh…we're not sure what is what."

Nick's stomach rolled a bit.

"Witton?"

"She's MIA."

"Are you serious?"

"Loki's here."

"Seriously?"

"And Thor."

"And you're just telling me now?"

"Yes. We weren't aware until recently. Both Loki and Thor are with the Avengers. They are heading back to New York. Loki…Loki is not well."

"What do you mean 'not well?'"

"Stark wasn't clear, but Loki is in a bad way."

"Why?"

"Stark and Loki were there when Witton dealt with Killian. Stark said he felt something in the air and Loki, well, Loki turned blue and he passed out."

"Loki is blue?"

"Yes. And unconscious."

"Fine. I'll head to the tower to debrief them. Banner will want to tend to Loki there rather than here. I'll allow it. Tell them."

Nick slammed the phone down and kneaded his forehead.

* * *

_He doesn't look like I remember / He just stares off into space / He must've seen some ugly things_

_-Sheryl Crow, "God Bless This Mess"_

* * *

Steve felt horrified as the others got off the plane. Thor's cape was burnt at the edges, but other than that he appeared unharmed, if a bit unsteady. Clint and Natasha looked…crispy for lack of a better description. Tony was in the worst shape. His armor was on its last leg, burnt and torn off in some places. And the look on his face spoke of a horrible battle. It was an expression Steve saw on many soldiers during the war.

"Where's Loki?"

"Steve," Tony started in a tone he did not care for, so Steve pushed Tony aside and ran on the plane with Bruce on hot on his heels.

"What happened?" Steve asked, staring at the utterly beautiful, yet blue, being spread out on the floor of the jet. Steve knelt down and let his hand hover above Loki's cheek before steeling himself to touch the blue skin. He could feel the cold radiating off of it without touching it.

"Captain America, his skin will burn you," Thor warned, bracing himself on the door to the hatch.

Ignoring Thor, Steve touched the blue, rough skin. It was gelid, colder than anything Steve had ever felt before. Yet, he was able to touch Loki's sapphire skin without becoming burned as Thor warned. Steve traced the pattern on Loki's cheek before brushing the long, raven hair out of the unconscious god's face.

Loki bore the same signs of battle the others did. He had a few burns on his exposed skin, his hands were a mess charred skin and blood, and his hair was definitely a little crispy at the ends.

"Tony?" Bruce prompted, pulling out some sort of scanner as he knelt on the other side of Loki. He frowned. "He's…there's…what the hell happened?"

"Jess…well, Jess kind of…" Tony trailed off, unable to finish. He shifted on his feet, his suit groaning in protest.

"Lady Jessica finished off her enemy," Thor supplied. "I fear though…she…"

"Sucked all the magic out of the area," Clint finished. He jerked his head at Loki. "Why's he blue?"

"He's naturally blue," Bruce supplied. His brown eyes searched out Tony's. "Jess sucked his magic out?"

Tony shrugged.

"Correct. I must rest," Thor answered, looking as if he was on a boat.

Thor crashed to the ground before anyone could do anything to help him.

Tony and Clint both cursed. Bruce jumped up and ran over to Thor.

"She sucked all the magic out of the area," Natasha repeated blankly, staring at the unconscious gods. "I don't know if we can move him. He's got his hammer on his belt. It's got magic, right?"

She looked around at the others.

"Had," Bruce said, scanning Thor and the hammer. "Thor isn't made of magic, nor is the hammer. They ought to recover quickly. Thor might be a little…tired, but he and the hammer will be fine."

"The hammer is alive?" Clint asked, looking confused and a little disgusted.

"No. But there's a magical bond between Thor and the hammer," Bruce said. "I scanned both before they left before. For basis for Jess."

"I'm going to fall over like Thor soon," Tony said as the door on the roof burst open and Pepper came flying out, closely followed by Coulson and Fury.

Steve stood up as Pepper worried over Tony and Coulson and Fury both stared at the two prone forms, one just outside the jet and one inside.

"Tell me what the hell is going on?" Fury demanded, stomping into the jet and standing at Loki's feet. "They told me he was blue, but why?"

Fury looked at Banner.

"Jess sucked all the magic out of the area," Bruce reported. "I've got no magical readings. It's gone."

Fury blinked his eye.

"Is he hurt otherwise? Like besides what we can see?" Steve asked quietly, kneeling back down near Loki's head. "Can he live without his magic?"

"It's been bound for the past six months," Clint offered, appearing next to Fury. "Not sure if that's different or not."

"I think it's best…" Fury began, but trailed off as Thor groaned behind them. The Asgardian sat up slowly with his hand pressed to his head.

"What is going on?" Thor asked. "Why…"

"You fell over, Point Break," Clint said, turning to Thor. He walked over to Thor and offered a hand. "Witton sucked the magic out of the area. You've got some magical bond between the hammer and you."

Thor stared at the hammer on his waist and picked it up. "Oh. It is heavy."

"Uh, yeah," Clint said, lowering his hand when it became clear Thor wasn't going to get up anytime soon.

"Can you lift it?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, but I doubt I can fight till the magic recovers," Thor allowed. "Loki, is he…"

Thor trailed off, once he noticed Loki still out cold on the floor.

"I need leather to cover my arms and I will carry him inside," Thor said, struggling to his feet.

"I can do that," Steve said, glancing at Bruce, who was scanning Loki again with a different style of scanner that was on his StarkPad. Bruce slowly stood after he finished fully scanning Loki and nodded at Steve. Steve moved to Loki's side and carefully scooped the unconscious demigod into his arms. He could feel the cold radiating through the sleeves of his long sleeve t-shirt, but nothing burned. Thor looked amazed, yet remained silent as Steve walked passed carrying his adoptive brother.

* * *

_He left here a-sailing / He was as high as a kite / Feeling kinda sorry, and looking for a fight / Where is our hero tonight?_

_-Willie Nelson, "Hero"_

* * *

It was twenty-four hours since the whole Fire Battle. No one had seen or heard from Jess and Loki was still out cold and as frigid as the North Pole in the winter. No one could touch the guy's blue skin without getting frost bitten other than Steve. Bruce figured it was something to do with the Super Solider Serum. Though, it was a bit odd Thor, being a god, couldn't touch his own brother's skin without burning himself.

"It is their defense," Thor explained to the exhausted yet inquisitive Tony when he'd asked. "I'm sure they are able to control how much it burns their enemies, but since my brother is free of magic, he cannot."

"Then why isn't he hurting Steve?"

Thor shrugged, which looked all kinds of wrong.

"You feeling better, Point Break?" Tony asked, eyeing the blond god, who looked battle weary for the first time ever. Even after the battle in Malibu, he hadn't looked tired or had a hair out of place.

He looked, some twenty-four hours later, horrible.

"I recover," Thor promised. "I am more so worried about Loki."

Tony hummed.

"He must return to Asgard," Thor quietly said, staring at his lap and not meeting Tony's gaze.

"Why?"

"It was the deal he made with our father to be released," Thor admitted. "We cannot return, though, until Loki recovers his magic. I did not come with the Tesseract, but through the ways Loki knows. I cannot travel them without Loki."

"So, you two are stuck?"

Thor nodded.

"Is there a way you can tell them? Asgard?"

"I'm sure Heimdall has informed Father," Thor assured. "I believe I will rest."

Thor got to his feet and slowly wandered off down the hall. Tony wasn't sure where the thunder god was heading, but knowing Pepper, she'd assigned Thor the floor Tony had set aside for the god to use if he ever came back to Earth.

"Tony?"

Tony turned around to see Bruce standing behind him, looking exhausted.

"Yeah?"

"Did you sleep last night?"

"Yeah. Like the dead," Tony lied turning back around and facing the fire going in the fireplace in front of him. He shook the glass in his hand, causing the ice within to tumble around. "Know anything new?"

Bruce shook his head as he sat down. "I don't know anything about Frost Giants. I am pleased to see his magic levels are recovering. He reads like Thor's hammer."

Tony snorted. "Stupid hammer."

"Thor and the hammer are, uh, recovered mostly. The last time I scanned him."

"Which was?"

"When I passed him in the hallway. He still looks like crap, but he's fine," Bruce explained. "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah. Just peachy," Tony fibbed.

Bruce leveled him a look. "You were a mess before this happened and now you've…"

Tony sighed. "Seen someone blown up? Gross, right? Not like in the movies at all. But, he wasn't a very nice man."

Bruce stared at Tony for a long beat.

"I know, I know," Tony sighed. "Don't speak ill of the dead."

Bruce said nothing but shook his head.

"So, Steve leave Loki's side yet?"

Bruce shook his head in the negative.

"I'm so teasing him for this."

Tony took a gulp of his drink and set it on his leg, going back to staring blankly at the fire in front of him.

"Get some sleep," Bruce said quietly. "I'm sure if Loki's magic levels keep recovering at the rate they are, he'll wake up tomorrow. And once he's awake…"

"He'll want to look for Jess," Tony finished.

"You don't want to be so tired you can't go along," Bruce taunted, leaving Tony alone in the room.

As cold as it sounded, it was true. He didn't want to be left behind when they went after Jess. Bruce had told Tony what Loki had explained once he'd come back: Jess shouldn't be using magic. It was tearing her apart, making her insane. She'd basically turned into Evil Loki (kind of). While Loki and Bruce had made a cure for Extremis, binding her magic would require a trip to Asgard and Tony didn't want to miss that.

He finished off his whiskey and headed for bed.

* * *

_They got scared when the lights went low / I'll get you through it nice and slow / When the world's spinning out of control_

_-Gavin Degraw, "Solider" _

* * *

When they located Jess, there was no battle, no fight, no drama. Jess was found passed out the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago of all places. She was discovered by a security officer before the place was to open a bright, winter morning after the new year. It did appear as if she was there to steal something, yet no one could figure out what she was after. Loki, who had woken forty-eight hours after having his magic sucked from him, looked through the entire museum but failed to find anything that would attract Jess' attention. Loki, who was still weak despite having his magic back, spent most of his search of the expansive building leaning heavily on Steve for support.

Not that Steve minded.

"What happened to her?" Steve asked, staring at the strange looking being on the hospital bed that sat between himself and Loki.

Loki reached out and placed his pale hand on the strangely colored arm. She was tan, though it wasn't like any tan Steve was familiar with. She looked like those women on the cover of magazines in the grocer, more orange than a healthy shade of tan.

"Extremis reacted with her magic and…changed her," Loki quietly said, tightening his grip on Jess. "I should never have left."

Steve remained silent, as he agreed Loki should never have left. Part of him wished that because of Jess, the other part was selfish.

"I must leave again, Steven," Loki said so quietly Steve wasn't sure he heard him correctly till he met the god's eyes and saw what was there for seeing. "I apologize."

Steve tightened his mouth and folded his arms across his chest. "Why?"

"Why am I apologizing or why must I return?"

"Return," Steve clarified.

"I've not finished serving my sentence. Odin told me I had to return, so I will return once I am able."

"When will that be?"

"Soon. And not only because I promised, but because Jess needs Odin."

"Why?"

Steve felt like he was a little kid asking all these questions.

"The Allfather has magic I do not and he will be able to bind the magic so it will never harm her again," Loki explained. "She will likely remain on Asgard till the Allfather sees fit to return her to Midgard."

Steve nodded. "Can I come along?"

Loki's head shot up from where he'd been blankly staring at the ground. "You wish to come to Asgard?"

"Well, I'd rather go along to make sure nothing, uh, happens," Steve said. "I don't know a lot about Asgard, but…"

"We do things quite differently, yes," Loki agreed.

"After he binds her magic, will she, well, uh, go back to how she appeared before?" Steve asked, eyeing the overly orange being on the white bed. "I mean, if we can't get it right before you leave."

"I believe so. I hope," Loki said quietly. "Though, does it matter. She still appears as she did, only a different color."

There was a bite to Loki's voice and Steve cringed.

"I wasn't worried about her appearance. I was…well, I…"

Loki scoffed.

"I like you blue," Steve blurted out, turning red.

Loki stared at Steve as if he had two heads.

"It's a good…color," Steve lamely offered, cheeks going even redder as Loki stared at him with those other worldly green eyes.

"You failed to see my eyes," Loki flatly stated.

"They're not green?"

"No. They are red," Loki said.

"Oh."

Loki quirked an eyebrow.

"Like Lord Voldemort," Tony's voice sounded from the doorway. He walked across the room to where Loki and Steve were standing, taking a spot at the foot of the bed. "So, how's Leelo?"

"The same as she was before," Loki said, turning towards Tony.

"Bruce and I fixed the cure. Hopefully it'll work this time," Tony said, holding up a syringe. He raised his eyebrows, holding it out to Loki.

Loki took it and went about administering it to Jess. They had tried four times since Jess had returned neutralize Extremis in her system, yet nothing worked. The three stood waiting to see a change in Jess.

Nothing happened.

Tony cursed and stomped out of the room. Loki sighed, setting the needle aside and putting his face in his hands. Steve rounded the bed and stood next to the tall man, putting a hand on his thin shoulder.

"We'll fix her," Steve promised. "Or maybe, uh, Odin will?"

Loki said nothing, but let his hands drop. He reached out and squeezed Jess's hand once more before turning and facing Steve. Steve felt flustered for a moment, as Loki was rather close.

"He will. Let us find substance," Loki said, grabbing Steve's hand and dragging him out of the room.

* * *

_It's a long road we've been walking on / Brother, you know it is, you know it is such a long road we've been walking on_

_-Alexi Murdoch, "Orange Sky"_

* * *

"Brother, are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Friends, the Bifrost is almost complete. When it is, I shall return with news," Thor bellowed.

Loki eyed his brother before sighing deeply.

"Well, Lokes, you better bring her back," Clint ordered, putting his hands in his pockets and wishing they could be inside instead of on top of the tower on the frozen morning in New York City.

"I shall, Clint," Loki promised.

Steve gave Loki a look, which Loki returned with a quirk of his eyebrow and a small smile. He turned around as the air around him shimmered and slashed his hand through the air. With his other hand, he grabbed onto Thor, who was holding an orange Witton in his arms. In an instant the two vanished from sight. The Avengers all stood on the roof of Stark Tower staring at the spot where the two gods and Witton (whatever she was now). The wind howled. Clint shivered.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Tony groused.

"I'm going back inside," Clint announced.

"How are we feeling about this?" Tony loudly asked. "We got left behind again."

"You really wanted to go to Asgard, didn't you?" Banner teased, shaking his head. "Clint's right. Let's go downstairs and have breakfast. It's out of our hands now."

Tony grumbled, but let Banner lead him to the door. Clint jogged to the door, tearing it open.

It was ten minutes before Clint had a mug of coffee in his hands and beginning to warm up.

"I don't know why they couldn't do that inside," Clint grumbled.

"Magic mojo requires open space or something," Tony offered, flapping his hand as he filled up his own cup of coffee. "I wanted to go."

Tony pouted.

"I doubt you'd be able to help. Every cure we came up with did nothing for her," Banner said sadly.

"The first one worked on the others Killian jacked up on the drug that didn't die in the explosion on the oil rig," Clint reminded the pair of scientists.

"That counts for something," Natasha offered, speaking for the first time that morning. She glanced around the kitchen they'd all gathered within and frowned. "Where's Steve?"

* * *

_But tell me, did you fall for a shooting star / One without a permanent scar_

_-Train, "Drops of Jupiter"_

* * *

"Welcome to Asgard, Steven."

Steve blinked several times, wondering how the hell he'd come to stand in the golden room he was currently within.

"Uh, did I just travel to another planet?" Steve faintly asked, feeling a bit woozy.

"You did," said a familiar voice. Hands braced Steve and the world stopped moving back and forth.

"I did," Steve affirmed, looking at Loki in confusion. "Why?"

"You wished to come," Loki simply replied. The arm around Steve's waist tightened and Loki maneuvered Steve towards a door. "Come along. I will show you to your quarters."

"Where's Jess?"

"Thor and my husband have taken care of Lady Jessica," said a soft, female voice.

Steve turned his focus away from Loki to find a beautiful women with long blonde hair in plaits and in shimmering golden clothing smiling at him fondly. She closed the door behind her and said, "I am sure once my husband has assessed the damage and sealed her magic, you will be welcomed to visit with her."

She beamed at the pair of men. Loki stopped walking, allowing the woman to float closer. Steve blinked, feeling wrong footed and stupid suddenly. Once she was within reach, she extended her hand, palm down.

"I am Queen Frigga," she introduced, looking at Steve pointedly.

Loki dropped his arm from around Steve's waist and placed a steading hand on Steve's back. Steve took her hand, pressed it to his lips and bowed.

"Steve Rogers," he said.

"Good morn, Mother."

Steve dropped the woman's hand as she took a step back. Her sparkling blue eyes turned to Loki and she smiled, throwing her arms around Loki. Loki removed his hand from Steve in order to return the greeting.

Steve had just met Loki's mother.

"Remember to return here, darling. You must speak with your father," she reminded Loki as she pulled away, a strange look appearing on her face.

Loki curtly nodded. He turned sharply and stalked off towards the doors, which magically sprung open right before Loki reached them. Steve nodded and bowed again, before turning to follow Loki. The world was still tilting oddly, but Steve pushed through the oddness by putting his focus on Loki.

It was not very hard.

It helped a bit, as the surroundings were much too much to take in as Steve followed Loki through the twisting hallways that were all magically glowing with golden, soft light.

"Here are your quarters," Loki said, opening a door and revealing a rather large room, lit with softer light than the halls they'd been traveling through. "I selected them for you. The light shouldn't be as…glaring as the halls."

Steve nodded, entering the seemingly darker room. Steve's eyes adjusted and he gasped.

"Loki…"

"I know. Lovely," Loki scoffed. "I must return to the throne room. I am sure by now the others have realized you are missing."

Steve felt a jolt of panic.

"They will soon know where you've gone."

"Why?"

"I left a message for Stark," Loki said, turning to leave.

Steve grabbed Loki's arm, hand closing around the delicate wrist that was incased in Asgardian leather. Loki turned to Steve, a closed off expression on his face that told Steve he was trying to hide something.

"Why did you bring me?" Steve whispered, stepping closer. "You never said I could come, you didn't warn me, you simply grabbed me the same time you grabbed Thor."

"I did not grab Thor. My duplicate made it look as if I grabbed him. Thor doesn't need contact with me to step through the doors between realms, you did."

"Why, Loki?"

Loki cocked his head to the side, his green eyes searching Steve's face.

"Would it surprise you to hear that I wished not to be alone?"

There was so much emotion in that question that Steve's heart clenched.

"You're not alone. You're family is here," Steve quietly reminded the demigod.

"True," Loki agreed without any face twitching. Suprisingly. "When Jessica wakes, she will…likely be quite…mad."

"It is within her right," Steve pointed out.

"You are calming," Loki said, breaking eye contact and staring at Steve's feet.

"You could have warned me, Loki. I would have happily come along."

Loki's mouth opened and closed, yet no words came out. He looked absolutely furious with himself.

Steve shook his head. "You didn't know how to ask."

Loki's mouth worked furiously, but nothing came out. Steve sighed, reaching out and putting a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"It's fine. I'm kind of upset, but I'll get over it. It'll be good for Jess to have someone familiar around that she's not angry with— though, if you really wanted someone like that you should have grabbed Clint," Steve said, smiling a little. "They're like best friends these days."

"Steven, I do not…I'm not…" Loki looked frustrated and stomped his foot in a somewhat childish manner. Before Steve knew what was happening, he felt cool lips on his, pressing insistently. It took Steve a fraction of a second to realize Loki was kissing him.

Steve's world kind of stopped spinning for a minute.

A man was kissing him.

Well, if Loki was a man. Did Frost Giants have genders like humans?

Steve had yet to truly come to terms with his mixed up, confusing feelings towards the guy (alien), but as he felt the tickle of a wet tongue brush his lower lip, he forgot what the problem was to begin with. He sunk into the sensation and allowed his head to shut off. Steve pulled Loki closer, wrapping his arms around Loki's waist while Loki wove his fingers through Steve's hair.

Loki pulled away first, lips a little swollen and a bit out of breath.

If kissing a man felt like this…well, Steve didn't really want to kiss anyone other than Loki. He was sure if he kissed someone else, it'd never be able to compare.

"I would not care to do that with Agent Barton," Loki formally proclaimed, his green eyes searching Steve's face.

Steve's head felt cloudy. He blinked slowly, finally finding words.

"No, I'd think not."

* * *

_Make your dreams come true / Don't give up the fight / You will be alright / Because there's no one like you in the universe_

_-Muse, "Invincible" _

* * *

_A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has read this and let y'all know there is yet another installment planned for this series. It'll mostly be Steve on Asgard methinks and will likely take place between _Iron Man 3_ and _Thor 2_. Thank for reading! _


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